Xia Liqun, Cao Jianhao, Huang Xiaohong, Qin Qiwei
State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Science, Sun Yat-sen University, 135 West Xingang Road, 510275, Guangzhou, China.
Arch Virol. 2009;154(9):1409-16. doi: 10.1007/s00705-009-0457-y. Epub 2009 Jul 24.
Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV), as a causative agent of serious systemic disease, causes significant economic losses in grouper aquaculture. In this study, a novel ICP18 homolog encoded by SGIV ORF086R was identified and characterized. Strikingly, ICP18 homologs can be found in all ranaviruses, but not in other sequenced large DNA viruses. SGIV ICP18 is an immediate-early gene and begins to be transcribed as early as 2 h post-infection (p.i.). Western blotting indicated that SGIV ICP18 is translated as early as 6 h p.i. and is a viral non-envelope protein. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that the SGIV ICP18 displays a finely punctate cytoplasmic pattern. Furthermore, overexpression of SGIV ICP18 can promote the growth of grouper embryonic cells (GP) and contribute to SGIV replication. These results should offer important insights into the pathogenesis of ranaviruses.
新加坡石斑鱼虹彩病毒（SGIV）作为一种严重系统性疾病的病原体，给石斑鱼养殖业造成了巨大的经济损失。在本研究中，鉴定并表征了由SGIV ORF086R编码的一种新型ICP18同源物。引人注目的是，在所有蛙病毒中都能发现ICP18同源物，但在其他已测序的大型DNA病毒中却没有。SGIV ICP18是一个立即早期基因，在感染后（p.i.）最早2小时就开始转录。蛋白质免疫印迹法表明，SGIV ICP18最早在感染后6小时就被翻译，并且是一种病毒非包膜蛋白。亚细胞定位分析显示，SGIV ICP18呈现出精细的点状细胞质模式。此外，SGIV ICP18的过表达可以促进石斑鱼胚胎细胞（GP）的生长，并有助于SGIV的复制。这些结果应该为蛙病毒的发病机制提供重要的见解。
