A Single V672F Substitution in the Spike Protein of Field-Isolated PEDV Promotes Cell⁻Cell Fusion and Replication in VeroE6 Cells.

ABSTRACT: While porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) infects and replicates in enterocytes lining villi of neonatal piglets with high efficiency, naturally isolated variants typically grow poorly in established cell lines, unless adapted by multiple passages. Cells infected with most cell-adapted PEDVs usually displayed large syncytia, a process triggered by the spike protein (S). To identify amino acids responsible for S-mediated syncytium formation, we constructed and characterized chimeric S proteins of the cell-adapted variant, YN144, in which the receptor binding domain (RBD) and S1/S2 cleavage site were replaced with those of a poorly culturable field isolate (G2). We demonstrated that the RBD, not the S1/S2 cleavage site, is critical for syncytium formation mediated by chimeric S proteins.

SUBMITTER: Wanitchang A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6466060 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature