Fluorescently tagged pUL47 of Marek's disease virus reveals differential tissue expression of the tegument protein in vivo

摘要: Marek's disease virus (MDV), a lymphotropic alphaherpesvirus, causes (MD) in chickens. MD is characterized by neurological signs, chronic wasting, and T cell lymphomas that predominate the visceral organs. MDV replicates highly cell-associated manner vitro vivo, with infectious particles being released only from feather follicle epithelial (FFE) cells skin. Virus produced shed FFE allows transmission of infected to naive chickens, but mechanisms or roles differential gene expression have remained elusive. Here, we generated recombinant which fused enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) C terminus tegument pUL47 (vUL47-EGFP) pUL49 (vUL49-EGFP). While vUL49-EGFP was attenuated vUL47-EGFP showed unaltered pathogenic potential stable production pUL47-EGFP, facilitated direct analysis tissues. Our studies revealed pUL47-EGFP expressed at low levels localizes nucleus during lytic replication lymphocytes spleen while it undetectable tumors. In contrast, abundant predominantly cytoplasm skin, where into environment. We concluded localization potentially important for unique nature as well free cells.