Characterization of Snakehead Rhabdovirus Infection in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

ABSTRACT The zebrafish, Danio rerio, has become recognized as a valuable model for the study of development, genetics, and toxicology. Recently, the zebrafish has been recognized as a useful model for infectious disease and immunity. In this study, the pathogenesis and antiviral immune response of zebrafish to experimental snakehead rhabdovirus (SHRV) infection was characterized. Zebrafish 24 h postfertilization to 30 days postfertilization were susceptible to infection by immersion in 106 50% tissue culture infective doses (TCID50) of SHRV/ml, and adult zebrafish were susceptible to infection by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of 105 TCID50 of SHRV/ml. Mortalities exceeded 40% in infected fish, and clinical presentation of infection included petechial hemorrhaging, redness of the abdomen, and erratic swim behavior. Virus reisolation and reverse transcription-PCR analysis of the viral nucleocapsid gene confirmed the presence of SHRV. Histological sections of moribund embryonic and juvenile fish revealed necrosis of the pharyngeal epithelium and liver, in addition to congestion of the swim bladder by cell debris. Histopathology in adult fish injected i.p. was confined to the site of injection. The antiviral response in zebrafish was monitored by quantitative real-time PCR analysis of zebrafish interferon (IFN) and Mx expression. IFN and Mx levels were elevated in zebrafish exposed to SHRV, although expression and intensity differed with age and route of infection. This study is the first to examine the pathogenesis of SHRV infection in zebrafish. Furthermore, this study is the first to describe experimental infection of zebrafish embryos with a viral pathogen, which will be important for future experiments involving targeted gene disruption and forward genetic screens.

The NV Gene of Snakehead Rhabdovirus (SHRV) Is Not Required for Pathogenesis, and a Heterologous Glycoprotein Can Be Incorporated into the SHRV Envelope

ABSTRACT Snakehead rhabdovirus (SHRV) affects warm-water fish in Southeast Asia and belongs to the genus Novirhabdovirus by virtue of its “nonvirion” (NV) gene. To examine the function of the NV gene, we used a recently developed reverse genetic system to produce a viable recombinant SHRV carrying an NV gene deletion. The recombinant virus was produced at the same rate and same final concentrations as the wild-type virus in cultured fish cells in spite of the NV gene deletion. The role of the NV protein in fish pathogenesis was also investigated. Zebra fish (Danio rerio) were infected with the NV deletion mutant or with a recombinant virus containing a copy of the SHRV genome, and similar mortality rates as well as final mortalities were recorded, suggesting no apparent role for the NV protein in fish pathogenesis. Interestingly, the unsuccessful rescue of fully viable recombinants with genomes containing deletions in the G/NV gene junction suggested a role for the gene junction in virus transcription and replication. Finally, we demonstrated that the SHRV glycoprotein can be replaced by the glycoprotein of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) or by a hybrid protein composed of SHRV and IHNV sequences.

Production of Recombinant Snakehead Rhabdovirus: the NV Protein Is Not Required for Viral Replication

ABSTRACT Snakehead rhabdovirus (SHRV) affects warm water fish in Southeast Asia and belongs to the genus Novirhabdovirus by virtue of its nonvirion gene (NV). Because SHRV grows best at temperatures between 28 and 31°C, we were able to use the T7 expression system to produce viable recombinant SHRV from a cloned cDNA copy of the viral genome. Expression of a positive-strand RNA copy of the 11,550-nucleotide SHRV genome along with the viral nucleocapsid (N), phosphoprotein (P), and polymerase (L) proteins resulted in the generation of infectious SHRV in cells preinfected with a vaccinia virus vector for T7 polymerase expression. Recombinant virus production was verified by detection of a unique restriction site engineered into the SHRV genome between the NV and L genes. Since we were now able to begin examining the function of the NV gene, we constructed a recombinant virus containing a nonsense mutation located 22 codons into the coding sequence of the NV protein. The NV knockout virus was produced at a concentration as high as that of wild-type virus in cultured fish cells, and the resulting virions appeared to be identical to the wild-type virions in electron micrographs. These initial studies suggest that NV has no critical function in SHRV replication in cultured fish cells.