Equine herpesvirus cDNA and Antigen

Equine herpesvirus (EHV) is a virus that primarily affects horses and other equine species such as mules and donkeys. EHV is a member of the alphaherpesvirus subfamily within the Herpesviridae family. There are several different types of EHV, each with a specific clinical presentation.

EHV-1, EHV-3, and EHV-4, cause respiratory disease characterized by fever, nasal discharge, and coughing. EHV-1 can also cause neurological disease, characterized by ataxia (incoordination), weakness, and paralysis. EHV-4 is also known as equine coital exanthema.EHV-1 and EHV-4 are spread through respiratory secretions, while EHV-3 is spread through contact with infected nasal secretions or contaminated equipment.

EHV-5, also known as equine neonatal encephalitis (ENE), is spread through the placenta from infected mares to their foals. It can cause neurological signs such as ataxia, weakness, and difficulty nursing.

EHV is highly contagious and can be spread through direct contact with infected animals, via respiratory secretions, or through contact with contaminated equipment. Vaccination is considered as an effective means of preventing EHV infections.
EHV is a common virus in horses and outbreaks can occur in both vaccinated and unvaccinated horses. It’s important to implement biosecurity measures, such as isolation of infected horses and quarantine of new horses, to prevent the spread of the virus.

The equine herpesvirus (EHV) genome is the genetic material that makes up the virus. It is composed of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and is relatively large, with a size of about 150-180 kilobases (kb). The EHV genome encodes for several viral proteins including structural proteins that form the viral capsid, regulatory proteins that control viral replication, and glycoproteins that are involved in viral entry into host cells.

Equine herpesvirus (EHV) antigen refers to a specific protein or other component of the EHV virus that can stimulate an immune response in horses and other equine species. EHV antigen can be used as a diagnostic tool to detect the presence of the virus in a horse’s blood or other bodily fluids, using techniques such as ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) or PCR (polymerase chain reaction).

EHV antigen can also be used as a component in a vaccine to help stimulate an immune response and protect against infection with the virus. EHV vaccines are typically inactivated or subunit vaccines, which are made from a specific part of the virus, such as a protein, rather than the whole virus. The EHV virion is composed of a complex structure of different proteins, including:

Envelope protein UL45 homolog – an envelope protein that is involved in virion assembly and maturation.

Envelope glycoprotein B and E – two glycosylated envelope proteins that are involved in viral entry into host cells.

IE68 – an immediate-early protein that is involved in the regulation of gene expression and the activation of viral replication.

Glycoprotein C – an envelope glycoprotein that is involved in viral attachment and entry into host cells.

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.