Genetic and Phenotypic Properties of Vero Cell-Adapted Japanese Encephalitis Virus SA14-14-2 Vaccine Strain Variants and a Recombinant Clone, Which Demonstrates Attenuation and Immunogenicity in Mice

Gregory D. Gromowski Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland

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Cai-Yen Firestone Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland

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José Bustos-Arriaga Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland

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Stephen S. Whitehead Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland

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The live-attenuated Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) SA14-14-2 vaccine, produced in primary hamster kidney cells, is safe and effective. Past attempts to adapt this virus to replicate in cells that are more favorable for vaccine production resulted in mutations that significantly reduced immunogenicity. In this study, 10 genetically distinct Vero cell-adapted JEV SA14-14-2 variants were isolated and a recombinant wild-type JEV clone, modified to contain the JEV SA14-14-2 polyprotein amino acid sequence, was recovered in Vero cells. A single capsid protein mutation (S66L) was important for Vero cell-adaptation. Mutations were also identified that modulated virus sensitivity to type I interferon-stimulation in Vero cells. A subset of JEV SA14-14-2 variants and the recombinant clone were evaluated in vivo and exhibited levels of attenuation that varied significantly in suckling mice, but were avirulent and highly immunogenic in weanling mice and are promising candidates for the development of a second-generation, recombinant vaccine.

Author Notes

* Address correspondence to Gregory D. Gromowski, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 33 North Drive, MSC 3203, Bethesda, MD. E-mail: gromowskig@niaid.nih.gov

Financial support: This work was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health.

Authors' addresses: Gregory D. Gromowski, Cai-Yen Firestone, José Bustos-Arriaga, and Stephen S. Whitehead, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, E-mails: gromowskig@niaid.nih.gov, cfirestone@niaid.nih.gov, bustosarriagaj2@mail.nih.gov, and swhitehead@niaid.nih.gov.

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