Yang Yupeng, Chen Mengru, Liu Zhe, Feng Kexin, Qi Ruibin, Kang Hongtao, Jiang Qian, Qu Liandong, Liu Jiasen
State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150069, China.
College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China.
Transbound Emerg Dis. 2025 Aug 19;2025:9924540. doi: 10.1155/tbed/9924540. eCollection 2025.
In recent years, feline calicivirus (FCV) has caused increasingly severe harm in China, posing a significant threat to feline health. However, our understanding of the complex epidemiology and genetic diversity of FCV in China remains limited. In this study, we integrated various bioinformatics methods and used isolates from China as the primary research subjects. The approach ranged from basic prevalence statistics to genome sequence analysis, systematic exploration of spatiotemporal evolution, recombination studies, comparisons of specific sites, structural biology predictions, protein adaptation analysis, and molecular dynamics simulations. This comprehensive approach aimed to obtain a thorough understanding of the characteristics of FCV in China. An in-depth analysis of the results indicates that FCV exhibits a nationwide epidemic trend in China mainly consisting of two genotypes: GI and GII. The prevalence rate of genotype GI exceeds 70%, making it the predominant epidemic genotype. Spatiotemporal evolution predicts that the ancestor of genotype GI emerged in 1821 while the ancestor of genotype GII emerged in 1879. After the 1950s, there was rapid expansion in the spread of FCV which extended from eastern parts to regions in southwest, southeast, and northeast after 1990. The analysis on recombinant evolution suggests that FCV can undergo recombination within same genotypes or across different genotypes enhancing its cross-species transmission and infectivity capabilities. Amino acid sequence analysis reveals mutations at key amino acid site position 481 involved in receptor binding where K mutated into E or N in domestic prevalent strains recently. All seven amino acid sites related virulence have undergone mutations. The results of protein adaptability analysis indicate that the amino acid residue at position 281 (N) in the VP1 protein is a site of adaptive selection. In some strains, the amino acid at this position has mutated from N to G, S, or R. Further molecular dynamics simulations reveal that these mutations affect the structural stability of the VP1 protein. The results of this study are essential for gaining a thorough understanding of the FCV profile in China and can be used to create better prevention and control strategies.
近年来，猫杯状病毒（FCV）在中国造成的危害日益严重，对猫的健康构成重大威胁。然而，我们对中国FCV复杂的流行病学和遗传多样性的了解仍然有限。在本研究中，我们整合了各种生物信息学方法，并以中国的分离株作为主要研究对象。研究方法涵盖了从基本流行率统计到基因组序列分析、时空进化的系统探索、重组研究、特定位点比较、结构生物学预测、蛋白质适应性分析以及分子动力学模拟。这种综合方法旨在全面了解中国FCV的特征。对结果的深入分析表明，FCV在中国呈现全国性流行趋势，主要由GI和GII两种基因型组成。GI基因型的流行率超过70%，是主要的流行基因型。时空进化预测表明，GI基因型的祖先出现在1821年，而GII基因型的祖先出现在1879年。20世纪50年代后，FCV的传播迅速扩大，1990年后从东部地区扩展到西南、东南和东北地区。重组进化分析表明，FCV可在同一基因型内或不同基因型间发生重组，增强其跨物种传播和感染能力。氨基酸序列分析显示，参与受体结合的关键氨基酸位点481发生了突变，国内流行株中K最近突变为E或N。所有七个与毒力相关的氨基酸位点均发生了突变。蛋白质适应性分析结果表明，VP1蛋白中第281位（N）的氨基酸残基是适应性选择位点。在一些菌株中，该位置的氨基酸已从N突变为G、S或R。进一步的分子动力学模拟表明，这些突变影响了VP1蛋白的结构稳定性。本研究结果对于全面了解中国FCV的情况至关重要，可用于制定更好的防控策略。
