On the 2nd, the Rural Development Administration (Chief Heo Tae-woong) revealed the genes and mechanisms of action related to how the’herpes virus’, which causes chronic infection, avoids immune surveillance reactions in pigs and induces infection.
Herpes virus is a DNA virus that hosts humans and livestock. It causes herpes around the mouth, and once infected, it recurs throughout life. To date, there is no cure to completely eliminate the herpes virus.
Herpes virus is easily transmitted to livestock by contact and recurs frequently depending on the immune status. In some cases, it can cause fatal infection symptoms.
The herpes virus that has infiltrated the pig body expresses the immune evasion gene ICP47, preventing the host from recognizing the invasion of the antigen.
In general, the host’s (pig) TAP gene delivers the virus antigen peptide to immune cells, causing the infected cells to die. At this time, the ICP47 gene intercepts the TAP gene, interfering with the process of recognizing virus-infected cells. Removal of the ICP47 gene of the herpes virus can induce a normal immune response.
The immune evasion of the ICP47 gene has been confirmed in humans and is currently used as an anti-cancer virus material that removes cancer cells. This is a case that shows that it is possible to treat new viral immunity through the removal of the immune avoidance gene even in livestock.
The results of this study are the first to reveal that the ICP47 gene of the herpes virus is involved in immune evasion in livestock. In particular, the research contents were published in the March issue of the international journal of biological macromolecules, which clearly investigated the mechanism of action of the ICP47 gene in pigs.
“The cowpox virus produces red spots in cattle, but it is used as a raw material for smallpox vaccine,” said Kim Tae-heon, head of the Animal Genetics Division, National Institute of Animal Science, Rural Development Administration. It will provide you with important information that you have.”