Glycoprotein 5-Derived Peptides Induce a Protective T-Cell Response in Swine against the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus
Fernando Calderon-Rico,
Alejandro Bravo-Patiño,
Irasema Mendieta,
Francisco Perez-Duran,
Alicia Gabriela Zamora-Aviles,
Luis Enrique Franco-Correa,
Roberto Ortega-Flores,
Ilane Hernandez-Morales,
Rosa Elvira Nuñez-Anita
Affiliations
Fernando Calderon-Rico
Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo, Km. 9.5 S/N carretera Morelia-Zinapecuaro, La Palma, Tarimbaro PC 58893, Mexico
Alejandro Bravo-Patiño
Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo, Km. 9.5 S/N carretera Morelia-Zinapecuaro, La Palma, Tarimbaro PC 58893, Mexico
Irasema Mendieta
Posgrado en Ciencias Quimico-Biológicas, Facultad de Quimica, Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro, Cerro de las Campanas S/N, Querétaro PC 76010, Mexico
Francisco Perez-Duran
Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo, Km. 9.5 S/N carretera Morelia-Zinapecuaro, La Palma, Tarimbaro PC 58893, Mexico
Alicia Gabriela Zamora-Aviles
Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo, Km. 9.5 S/N carretera Morelia-Zinapecuaro, La Palma, Tarimbaro PC 58893, Mexico
Luis Enrique Franco-Correa
Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo, Km. 9.5 S/N carretera Morelia-Zinapecuaro, La Palma, Tarimbaro PC 58893, Mexico
Roberto Ortega-Flores
Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo, Km. 9.5 S/N carretera Morelia-Zinapecuaro, La Palma, Tarimbaro PC 58893, Mexico
Ilane Hernandez-Morales
Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Leon, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Blv. UNAM No. 2011, Leon PC 37684, Guanajuato, Mexico
Rosa Elvira Nuñez-Anita
Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo, Km. 9.5 S/N carretera Morelia-Zinapecuaro, La Palma, Tarimbaro PC 58893, Mexico
We analyzed the T-cell responses induced by lineal epitopes of glycoprotein 5 (GP5) from PRRSV to explore the role of this protein in the immunological protection mediated by T-cells. The GP5 peptides were conjugated with a carrier protein for primary immunization and booster doses. Twenty-one-day-old pigs were allocated into four groups (seven pigs per group): control (PBS), vehicle (carrier), PTC1, and PTC2. Cytokine levels were measured at 2 days post-immunization (DPI) from serum samples. Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs, CD8+) from peripheral blood were quantified via flow cytometry at 42 DPI. The cytotoxicity was evaluated by co-culturing primed lymphocytes with PRRSV derived from an infectious clone. The PTC2 peptide increased the serum concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines (i.e., TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-8) and cytokines that activate the adaptive cellular immunity associated with T-lymphocytes (i.e., IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-12). The concentration of CTLs (CD8+) was significantly higher in groups immunized with the peptides, which suggests a proliferative response in this cell population. Primed CTLs from immunized pigs showed cytolytic activity in PRRSV-infected cells in vitro. PTC1 and PTC2 peptides induced a protective T-cell-mediated response in pigs immunized against PRRSV, due to the presence of T epitopes in their sequences.