Restrictive type of replication of ovine/caprine lentiviruses in ovine fibroblast cell cultures

Abstract

Caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV) is a natural lentivirus pathogen of goats. CAEV, like all members of the ovine/caprine lentivirus family, has an in vivo tropism for cells of the monocyte/macrophage cell lineage and activation of viral gene expression is observed only following differentiation of monocytes to macrophages. In addition to cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage, CAEV and the closely related maedi visna virus of sheep (MVV) can also replicate productively in fibroepithelial cells derived from synovial membrane of goats (GSM). However, these viruses varied greatly in their ability to replicate in fibroblasts. We studied the biological and biochemical properties of CAEV and maedi-visna virus (MVV) of sheep following inoculation into the three ovine/caprine cell types. Our data showed no substantial differences in virus titers, viral protein biosynthesis, or processing of the viral proteins between CAEV and MVV following inoculation into primary macrophages and GSM cells. However, unlike MVV, CAEV failed to replicate productively in ovine fibroblasts (sheep choroid plexus cells). This correlated with a specific but abnormal proteolytic cleavage of the envelope glycoprotein of the virus. This abnormal proteolytic cleavage represents a novel type or host cell restriction of lentivirus replication.