Abstract:
There is a pressing need for effective feral cat management globally due to overabundant feline populations, disease transmission and their destructive impact on biodiversity. Virus-vectored immunocontraception (VVIC) is an attractive method for cat population management. Virus-vectored immunocontraceptives could be self-disseminating through horizontal transmission of the VVIC in feral cat populations, or they may be modified to act as non-transmissible vaccine-type immunocontraceptives for delivery to individual cats. These later constructs may be particularly attractive for use in owned (pet) cats and stray cats but could also be used for feral cats that are caught, vaccinated, and released. Here, we report the construction of three felid alphaherpesvirus 1 (FHV-1) derived immunocontraceptive candidates containing genes that encode for feline zona pellucida subunit 3 (ZP3) and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Two of the vaccine candidates were engineered to include disruptions to the thymidine kinase viral virulence gene to reduce the ability of the vaccines to be horizontally transmitted. Analysis of in vitro growth characteristics and protein expression are reported, and their potential for use as a population management tool for cats is discussed.
摘要:
由于猫科动物种群过多,全球迫切需要有效的野猫管理,疾病传播及其对生物多样性的破坏性影响。病毒载体免疫避孕(VVIC)是猫种群管理的一种有吸引力的方法。病毒载体免疫避孕药可能通过VVIC在野猫种群中的水平传播而自我传播,或者它们可以被修饰以作为非传染性疫苗型免疫避孕药用于递送至个体猫。这些后来的构造对于拥有的(宠物)猫和流浪猫的使用可能特别有吸引力,但也可以用于被捕获的野猫,已接种疫苗并释放。这里,我们报道了三种Felidα疱疹病毒1(FHV-1)衍生的免疫避孕候选物的构建,这些候选物包含编码猫科动物透明带亚基3(ZP3)和促性腺激素释放激素(GnRH)的基因。对两种候选疫苗进行工程改造,以包括对胸苷激酶病毒毒力基因的破坏,以降低疫苗水平传播的能力。体外生长特性和蛋白质表达的分析报道,并讨论了它们作为猫种群管理工具的潜力。