Surface plasmonic ressonance studies with porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and putative cell surface receptors

• Grant number: 14/23478-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): January 01, 2015
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Angelo José Magro
• Grantee: Juliana Marques Sousa
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 13/14530-1 - Structural analysis of capsid proteins and VLPs from mutant 2B swine Circovirus with distinct in vitro and in vivo pathogenic effects, AP.JP

Abstract

Efficient techniques related to genetics, nutrition, management, and sanity of swine farming have been developed in the last years. However, due to the intensive system of farming, these animals are now more susceptible to several infectious diseases. One of the most important pathogens which affect the swine industry worldwide is the porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2), a small icosahedral non-enveloped virus with a circular, ambisense, and single-stranded DNA molecule composed by 1767-1768 nucleotides. This highly resistant pan-endemic virus is associated to many swine clinical disorders which cause heavily economic losses to the producers. According to studies involving genetic engineering virus and protein/protein interaction experiments, one of the factors possibly implicated in the PCV2 pathogenicity is the cap protein, the fundamental unit of the viral capsid. Recent works performed by the virology laboratory headed by Prof. Dr. João Pessoa Araújo Jr. from Microbiology and Immunology Department, Biosciences Institute - UNESP (Botucatu/SP, Brazil), have identified in cell cultures the presence mutant PCV2s (mPCV2s) with cap protein modifications. These mutant viruses were able to increase the mortality rate of mice and provoke different cytopathic effects in comparison to a known wild type isolated from field samples. This research project aims the execution of surface plasmonic ressonance experiments in order to verify possible interactions between putative cell surface receptor glycosaminoglycans and cell cultures containing a mixture of the mPCV2s and a PCV2 wild type isolated from field samples. These trials are very important to confirm the occurrence of glycosaminoglycans/PVC2 interaction and guide other SPR experiments involving the heterologous mutant and wild type PCV2 cap proteins. The infomation acquired from these initial experiments could be also useful to shed some light on the elusive interaction/recognition mechanisms related to PCV2 and its hosts and help to clarify other questions as viral biology, epidemiology and pathology. Finally, the results from this work may be important to the development of future vaccines and drugs more effective against the swine diseases caused by PCV2.