Feline immunodeficiency virus cDNA and Antigen

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a retrovirus that infects cats and can cause a weakened immune system, making the cat more susceptible to other infections and diseases. FIV is primarily spread through bite wounds, so it is most found in outdoor cats and those that fight with other cats. Symptoms can include fever, weight loss, and anemia, but many infected cats may not show any signs of illness for years. There is no cure for FIV, but management and treatment can help to slow the progression of the disease and improve the cat’s quality of life.

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) antigen refers to the proteins on the surface of the virus that are recognized by the immune system of the infected cat. These antigens can be used to develop diagnostic tests for FIV, such as antibody tests and PCR tests. They can also be used to create recombinant antigens for use in vaccines to prevent FIV infection. The FIV envelope glycoprotein gp120, is the main antigen that is targeted by the host humoral and cellular immune response.

The FIV genome encodes for numerous proteins, many of which are essential for viral replication, assembly, and immune evasion. Some of the key FIV proteins include:

Envelope glycoprotein: This protein is involved in viral entry into host cells. It forms a complex with the surface glycoprotein to bind to host cell receptors and mediate fusion between the viral envelope and host cell membrane.

Gag polyprotein: This protein is a precursor to several structural proteins, including the capsid, nucleocapsid, and matrix proteins. It is cleaved by viral proteases to produce these individual proteins, which are important for viral assembly.

Surface glycoprotein: This protein is involved in viral attachment and plays a critical role in viral entry into host cells. It interacts with host cell receptors and helps to mediate fusion between the viral envelope and host cell membrane.

Gp120 and Gp100: These proteins are components of the surface glycoprotein and play important roles in viral entry and immune evasion. They are also targets of the host immune response.

Virion infectivity factor: This protein plays a critical role in viral replication and immune evasion. It interacts with host proteins to suppress the host immune response and promote viral replication.

V3-V5 regions: These regions of the envelope glycoprotein are highly variable and are thought to play a role in immune evasion. They may also be important for viral entry into host cells.

Transmembrane protein: This protein is involved in viral entry and is essential for the formation of infectious virions. It helps to mediate fusion between the viral envelope and host cell membrane.

Understanding the role of these proteins in FIV infection is critical in developing effective treatments and prevention strategies for this virus. Researchers are actively exploring the use of antiviral drugs and vaccines to control the spread of FIV. By targeting these proteins, it may be possible to inhibit viral replication and prevent the virus from spreading in the feline population.

The use of recombinant proteins/cDNA in academic research and therapeutic applications has skyrocketed. However, in heterologous expression systems, successful recombinant protein expression is dependent on a variety of factors, including codon preference, RNA secondary structure, and GC content. When compared to pre-optimization, more and more experimental results demonstrated that the expression level was dramatically increased, ranging from two to hundred times depending on the gene. Bioclone has created a proprietary technology platform that has resulted in the creation of over 6,000 artificially synthesized codon-optimized cDNA clones (cloned in E. coli expression Vector), which are ready for production of the recombinant proteins.