US Partnering Award: Using bioinformatics to predict and understand virus-host interactions to improve ASFV vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.
Lead Research Organisation:
The Pirbright Institute
Department Name: Vector-borne Viral Diseases
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Linda Dixon (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Reis AL
(2017)
Unraveling the Armor of a Killer: Evasion of Host Defenses by African Swine Fever Virus.
in Journal of virology
| Description | The codon usage in genes encoded by African swine fever virus has been compared with those encoded by different chromosomes in the pig genome and by the Ornithodoros tick by Prof Gary Olsen, University of Illinois. The aim was to try and identify virus genes that may have been acquired more recently from either host. The results showed that the codon usage of ASFV genes is distinct from that of the pig and tick but clusters more closely with some of the pig chromosomes. Some ASFV genes were outliers from the others possibly due a more recent acquisition but other factors may be involved (eg gene length). The scatter in codon usage for the tick genes may be due to limited quantity and quality of the gene sequences available. RNA has been prepared from an Ornithodoros cell line for analysis by sequencing to obtain a better data set. To discuss progress meetings have been held between the Ps and Prof Olsen in June 2014 and between the PIs Dixon and Shisler in June 2015. Telephone conferences have been held in December 2015 and March 2016. Further visits of Prof Joanna Shisler and Dr Lauren Gates-Tanzer to the Pirbright Insttute took place in October 2017 and February 2018. Dr Gates-Tanzer completed a placement at the Pirbright Institute between January and March 2018. During these visits experiments were planned to identify novel African swine fever virus inhibitors of innate immunity including of interferon induction and NFkB transcription factor. Dr Gates-Taylor transferred technology and reagents to Pirbright during her placement Jan -March 2018. As a result of the collaboration 15 new ASFV inhibitors of innate immunity were identified. Further work has been carried out to understand the mechanism by which the African swine fever virus proteins identified in the initial screen inhibit the induction of type I Interferon and the activation of NF-kappa B transcription factor. This work involved identifying the stage in the activation pathways that are inhibited by the ASFV proteins. This provides further data for publication and applications for future funding. Dr Linda Dixon and Samuel Connell from Pirbright visited University of Illinois in June 2018 to discuss results and plan future experiments. |
| Exploitation Route | By publication of data in open access in peer-reviewed journals. The inhibitors of innate immunity identified will be targets for deletion from ASFV genomes to construct candidate live attenuated vaccines. These are urgently needed since ASF is spreading through Africa, Europe and China with devastating economic impacts. |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink |
| Description | Science Director Global Alliance for African swine fever virus research |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | I was Science Director of the Global Alliance for Research on African swine fever virus (GARA). This involved being Chair of the Scientific Organizing Committee for 2 International Meetings and preparing reports and GAP analysis to direct research. |
| URL | https://www.ars.usda.gov/GARA/ |
| Description | Collaboration on Structural Biology of African swine fever virus apoptosis inhibitors |
| Organisation | La Trobe University |
| Country | Australia |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | My research team provided expertise on African swine fever virus and identified host proteins that interact with virus inhibitors of apoptosis |
| Collaborator Contribution | My partners (Drs Marc Kvansakul and Hinds La Trobe, Melbourne) determined the X-ray crystal structure of the African swine fever apoptosis inhibitor A179L and its binding affinity with interacting BH3 domain containing proteins |
| Impact | Publication in J Virology. Grant Applications to Australian Research Council. Structural Biology, Virology, Cell Biology |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Collaboration with Prof Joanna Shisler, University of Illinois |
| Organisation | University of Illinois |
| Department | Department of Microbiology |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We collaborated to identify new African swine fever virus immune evasion genes. We provided reagents and expertise. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our collaborator provided expertise and reagents |
| Impact | Outputs are a review article and results for future publication |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Invited Keynote Speaker International Society of Veterinary Epidemiology and Ecology, China Mai Thailand |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Keynote talk on progress towards African swin efever virus vaccine development at ISVEE meeting Thailand |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Scientific Chair Vaccine Session Poxvirus, Asfarvirus, Iridovirus International Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I was chairperson of the scientific session on Vaccines at the International Poxvirus, Asfarvirus and Iridovirus Workshop held in Strasbourg France June 2016. I selected abstracts for oral and poster presentations and acted as chair during the session. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Seminar on African swine fever virus |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Presentation on African swine fever virus vaccine development to Yebio Bioengineering and China Animal Health and Epidemiology Centre, Qingdao, PR China |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Seminar on African swine fever virus |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Seminar at Beijing Institute of Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences 12 Zhongguanchan South Stree, Haifing District Beijing |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Seminar on African swine fever virus |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Seminar on African swine fever virus host interactions and vaccine development. Yangzhou University Veterinary Faculty PR China |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Seminar on African swine fever virus virus host interaction and vaccine development |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Seminar Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences PR China |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Seminar on African swine fever virus virus host interaction and vaccine development |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Seminar on African swine fever virus evasion of host defences and vaccine development Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, UCL London |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Seminar on prospects for African swine fever virus vaccine development |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Seminar at Harbin Institute for Veterinary Research, PR China |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Seminar on virus host interactions and prospects for African swine fever virus vaccine development |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Seminar on African swine fever virus host interactions and vaccine development |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |