Lee Eun-Gyeong, Kang Sang-Min, Tark Dongseob
Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention, Korea Zoonosis Research Institute, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan, 54531, Republic of Korea.
ViEL-T Corporate Research Institute, ViEL-T lnc., Jeonju Innovation Startup Hub SJ Bldg, Jeonju, 54852, Republic of Korea.
Vet Res. 2025 Jun 11;56(1):116. doi: 10.1186/s13567-025-01543-7.
African swine fever virus (ASFV), the causative agent of African swine fever, is a fatal haemorrhagic virus affecting domestic pigs and wild boars. The primary target cells for ASFV infection are porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs); however, PAM isolation and maintenance are technically challenging, and genetic manipulation of these cells is difficult. The lack of suitable cell lines that support ASFV infection and replication has significantly hindered vaccine development. This study aimed to overcome these limitations and advance ASFV research. The results demonstrate that the foetal porcine kidney cells (LFBK) are suitable for ASFV studies. We observed that ASFV replicated significantly more efficiently in LFBK cells than in PAMs. Furthermore, LFBK cells exhibited antiviral immune responses similar to PAMs following ASFV infection or DNA analog. These findings suggest that the LFBK cell line could provide a much-needed platform for studying ASFV replication and pathogenesis while serving as a valuable tool for understanding ASFV-induced immune mechanisms.
非洲猪瘟病毒（ASFV）是非洲猪瘟的病原体，是一种影响家猪和野猪的致命出血性病毒。ASFV感染的主要靶细胞是猪肺泡巨噬细胞（PAM）；然而，PAM的分离和维持在技术上具有挑战性，并且对这些细胞进行基因操作也很困难。缺乏支持ASFV感染和复制的合适细胞系严重阻碍了疫苗的开发。本研究旨在克服这些限制并推进ASFV研究。结果表明，胎猪肾细胞（LFBK）适用于ASFV研究。我们观察到，ASFV在LFBK细胞中的复制效率明显高于在PAM中的复制效率。此外，在感染ASFV或DNA类似物后，LFBK细胞表现出与PAM相似的抗病毒免疫反应。这些发现表明，LFBK细胞系可以为研究ASFV复制和发病机制提供急需的平台，同时作为理解ASFV诱导的免疫机制的宝贵工具。
