Common carp type I interferon responses and its influence on the resistance of carp genetic lines to virus infection

I型干扰素（IFN）是具有抗病毒特性的病毒诱导蛋白。在硬骨鱼中，IFN活性早已为人所知，但直到最近，IFN编码基因才在一系列不同物种中被克隆。目前的数据表明，在硬骨鱼类中的I型IFN系统由不同的基因家族编码，所述基因家族包括根据成熟蛋白的半胱氨酸模式存在于所有脊椎动物中的一些分子，以及仅在硬骨鱼类中发现的一些分子。所有硬骨鱼I型干扰素研究到目前为止，被发现具有抗病毒和一些抗菌活性，这些基因的表达数据表明，不同的基因可能有互补的作用，在不同的细胞和感染的不同阶段。本研究的目的是探讨不同形式的鲤鱼I型干扰素在鲤鱼疱疹病毒3型（CyHV-3）和鲤鱼春季病毒血症（SVCV）病毒感染中的作用。这两种病毒的感染造成了世界范围内鲤鱼养殖业的严重损失，并对粮食安全和鲤鱼生产的可持续性构成了挑战。该项目涉及3个相互关联的任务：（i）表征鲤科鱼类的复合I型IFN系统的不同分子对体外病毒感染的影响，（ii）选择不同I型IFN基因的表达水平对疾病结局的影响（iii）探索I型IFN多态性对鲤鱼对病毒引起的疾病的抗性的影响。使用两种独特的病毒模型CyHV-3，一个成员的Alloherpesviridae，和SVCV，一个成员的弹状病毒科，计划的工作将阐明参与的I型干扰素在鲤鱼抵抗病毒疾病在更广泛的范围内。

Type I interferons (IFNs) are virus induced proteins with antiviral properties. In teleosts, IFN activity has long be known, but only recently, IFN encoding genes were cloned in a range of different species. Current data indicates that the type I IFN system in teleosts is encoded by a diverse family of genes comprising of some molecules, which according to the cysteine pattern of the mature protein are present in all vertebrates, and some molecules which have only been found in teleosts. All teleost type I IFNs studied so far were found to possess antiviral and some antibacterial activities, and expression data of these genes suggest that different genes may have complementary roles in different cells and at different stages of the infection. The aim of the current research is to characterise of the role of the different forms of cyprinid type I IFNs during viral infections of both Cyprinid Herpesvirus-3 (CyHV-3) and Spring Viraemia of Carp Virus (SVCV). Infections with these two viruses are responsible for severe losses in carp aquaculture world wide and challenge food security and the sustainability of carp production.The project addresses 3 interrelated tasks: (i) characterisation of the impact of different molecules of the complex type I IFN system of cyprinid fishes on viral infections in vitro, (ii) selecting the impact of the expression level of different type I IFN genes on the outcome of the disease (iii) exploring the influence of type I IFN polymorphism on the resistance of carp to the diseases caused by the viruses. Using the two unique virus models CyHV-3, a member of the Alloherpesviridae, and SVCV, a member of the Rhabdoviridae, the planed work will elucidate the involvement of type I IFNs in the resistance of carp to viral diseases on a wider scale.