Efficient production of a lentiviral system for displaying Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus glycoproteins reveals a broad range of cellular susceptibility and neutralization ability

Arch Virol. 2020 May;165(5):1109-1120. doi: 10.1007/s00705-020-04576-9. Epub 2020 Mar 18.

Abstract

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne disease with a mortality rate of up to 50% in humans. To avoid safety concerns associated with the use of live virus in virus neutralization assays and to detect human serum neutralizing antibodies, we prepared lentiviral particles containing the CCHF glycoprotein (lenti-CCHFV-GP). Incorporation of the GP into the lentiviral particle was confirmed by electron microscopy and Western blotting. Lenti-CCHFV-GP was found to be able to infect a wide range of cell lines, including BHK-21, HeLa, HepG2, and AsPC-1 cells. In addition, lenti-CCHFV-GP was successfully used as an alternative to CCHFV for the detection of neutralizing antibodies. Sera collected from CCHF survivors neutralized lenti-CCHFV-GP particles in a dose-dependent manner. Our results suggest that the lenti-CCHFV-GP pseudovirus can be used as a safe tool for neutralization assays in low-containment laboratories.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Neutralizing / blood
  • Antibodies, Viral / blood
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Surface Display Techniques*
  • Genetic Vectors
  • Glycoproteins / genetics
  • Glycoproteins / immunology*
  • Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo / genetics
  • Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo / immunology*
  • Host Specificity
  • Humans
  • Lentivirus / genetics
  • Lentivirus / growth & development*
  • Neutralization Tests / methods*
  • Recombinant Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Proteins / immunology
  • Viral Proteins / genetics
  • Viral Proteins / immunology*
  • Virus Internalization*

Substances

  • Antibodies, Neutralizing
  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Glycoproteins
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Viral Proteins