Survivin Overexpression Has a Negative Effect on Feline Calicivirus Infection

Abstract

It is known that levels of the anti-apoptotic protein survivin are reduced during Murine norovirus MNV-1 and Feline calicivirus (FCV) infection as part of the apoptosis establishment required for virus release and propagation in the host. Recently, our group has reported that overexpression of survivin causes a reduction of FCV protein synthesis and viral progeny production, suggesting that survivin may affect early steps of the replicative cycle. Using immunofluorescence assays, we observed that overexpression of survivin, resulted in the reduction of FCV infection not only in transfected but also in the neighboring nontransfected CrFK cells, thus suggesting autocrine and paracrine protective effects. Cells treated with the supernatants collected from CrFK cells overexpressing survivin showed a reduction in FCV but not MNV-1 protein production and viral yield, suggesting that FCV binding and/or entry were specifically altered. The reduced ability of FCV to bind to the surface of the cells overexpressing survivin, or treated with the supernatants collected from these cells, correlate with the reduction in the cell surface of the FCV receptor, the feline junctional adhesion molecule (fJAM) 1, while no effect was observed in the cells transfected with the pAm-Cyan vector or in cells treated with the corresponding supernatants. Moreover, the overexpression of survivin affects neither Vaccinia virus (VACV) production in CrFK cells nor MNV-1 virus production in RAW 267.4 cells, indicating that the effect is specific for FCV. All of these results taken together indicate that cells that overexpress survivin, or cell treatment with the conditioned medium from these cells, results in the reduction of the fJAM-1 molecule and, therefore, a specific reduction in FCV entry and infection.

Genetic Characterization of Feline Calicivirus From China Reveals That Amino Acid Mutations at 441-443 in The ORF2 E Region Are Related to Pathogenicity

“…Oral, nasal and rectal swabs and plasma samples of experimentally-infected cats were collected before the start of the study and screened for the presence of FCV, feline leukemia virus (FeLV), feline parvovirus (FPV), feline herpes virus type 1 (FHV-1) and feline coronavirus (FCoV) using PCR as previously reported [20,21,22]. Antibody levels for FCV and FHV-1 were also determined from serum samples.…”

Advances in Feline Viruses and Viral Diseases

“…In a fresh approach, Brunet et al report, for the first time, consistent differences in capsid protein variable region amino acids between classical and virulent FCV strains using multiple correspondence analysis [ 8 ]. Barrera-Vasquez et al report that survivin overexpression reduced FCV infection in vitro, correlating with reduced expression of the FCV receptor, the feline junctional adhesion molecule (fJAM1) [ 9 ].…”