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Improved pig donor screening including newly identified variants of porcine endogenous retrovirus-C (PERV-C)

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Abstract

Porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERV) are widely distributed in the genomes of pigs. PERV-A and PERV-B are present in all pigs. They infect human cells in vitro and therefore represent a risk for xenotransplantation when pig cells, tissues or organs are used. PERV-C infects only pig cells and is not present in the genomes of all pigs. However, PERV-A/C recombinants infecting human cells and characterized by high replication titers were found in pigs. To select PERV-C-free animals that cannot generate such recombinants, PCR-based assays were developed (Kaulitz et al., J Virol Methods, 175:60, 2011). When screening for PERV-C in German wild boars (Sus scrofa scrofa), applying these methods, a new variant of PERV-C was identified. Whereas in all 125 wild boar only the new variant of PERV-C was found, different variants were present in some landrace pigs, and most importantly, some pigs were totally free of PERV-C.

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Acknowledgment

This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DE 729/4-3). We thank Kay-Martin Hanschmann, Paul Ehrlich Institute, Langen, Germany, for the probit analysis. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre of HIV and Retrovirology, Robert Koch-Institute, Nordufer 20, 13353, Berlin, Germany

    Danny Kaulitz, Debora Mihica, Marwan Semaan & Joachim Denner

  2. Center for Biological Security, ZBS1, Robert Koch-Institute, Nordufer 20, 13353, Berlin, Germany

    Cornelia Adlhoch

Authors
  1. Danny Kaulitz
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  2. Debora Mihica
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  3. Cornelia Adlhoch
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  4. Marwan Semaan
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  5. Joachim Denner
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Correspondence to Joachim Denner.

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705_2012_1490_MOESM1_ESM.ppt

Fig. S1. (A) Estimation of the efficiency of the duplex real-time PCR specific for the new variant (nv) of PERV-C. Dilution of a specific nv PERV-C amplicon (efficiency 107 %), and of a cyclophilin plasmid (efficiency 115 %). (B) Real-time PCR analysis of three different pigs for investigating the presence of PERV-C, PERV-C new variant and porcine cyclophilin. Primers and probes for PERV envC and the new variant of PERV envC were used. Notice that the residual low reactivity for PERV envC in pig 2 is due to the limited difference between the primers and the target. (PPT 1237 kb)

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Kaulitz, D., Mihica, D., Adlhoch, C. et al. Improved pig donor screening including newly identified variants of porcine endogenous retrovirus-C (PERV-C). Arch Virol 158, 341–348 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-012-1490-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-012-1490-9

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