Scientific Reports (May 2024)

Characterization and application of recombinant Bovine Leukemia Virus Env protein

  • Lorena Tomé-Poderti,
  • Natalia Olivero-Deibe,
  • Federico Carrión,
  • María Magdalena Portela,
  • Gonzalo Obal,
  • Gleysin Cabrera,
  • Sergio Bianchi,
  • Analia Lima,
  • Andrés Addiego,
  • Rosario Durán,
  • Gonzalo Moratorio,
  • Otto Pritsch

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-62811-8
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 1
pp. 1 – 16

Abstract

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Abstract The Bovine Leukemia Virus (BLV) Envelope (Env) glycoprotein complex is instrumental in viral infectivity and shapes the host’s immune response. This study presents the production and characterization of a soluble furin-mutated BLV Env ectodomain (sBLV-EnvFm) expressed in a stable S2 insect cell line. We purified a 63 kDa soluble protein, corresponding to the monomeric sBLV-EnvFm, which predominantly presented oligomannose and paucimannose N-glycans, with a high content of core fucose structures. Our results demonstrate that our recombinant protein can be recognized from specific antibodies in BLV infected cattle, suggesting its potential as a powerful diagnostic tool. Moreover, the robust humoral immune response it elicited in mice shows its potential contribution to the development of subunit-based vaccines against BLV.