J Bacteriol Virol.  2016 Dec;46(4):231-238. 10.4167/jbv.2016.46.4.231.

Establishment of a Multiplex RT-PCR for the Sensitive and Differential Detection of Japanese Encephalitis Virus Genotype 1 and 3

• Yang DK
• Kim HH
• Jo HY
• Choi SS
• Cho IS

• KMID: 2366868
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4167/jbv.2016.46.4.231

Abstract

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a zoonosis that affects the nervous system of humans and other animals. The genotype of JE virus (JEV) has shifted recently from genotype 3 (G3) to genotype 1 (G1) in Asia, including Korea. Thus, a rapid differential assay is required to make an accurate diagnosis of JEV genotype. In this study, we designed common and differential primer sets for JEV G1 and G3 to detect the JEV envelope (E) gene. The specific primer sets for JEV G1 and G3 specifically amplified the target gene. The detection limits of the three primer sets were 10(1.0), 10(2.0), and 10(2.0) TCIDâ‚…â‚€/reaction, respectively. No cross-reactivity was detected with non-JEV reference viruses. The multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay specifically differentiated JEV G1 from G3. Thus, a one-step multiplex RT-PCR assay was established to rapidly and differentially detect JEV. This assay will be useful for confirming JEV infections in animals and checking the JEV genotype in veterinary biological products.

Keyword

Japanese encephalitis virus; Multiplex RT-PCR; Genotype

MeSH Terms

Animals
Asia
Asian Continental Ancestry Group*
Biological Products
Diagnosis
Encephalitis Virus, Japanese*
Encephalitis, Japanese*
Genotype
Humans
Korea
Limit of Detection
Nervous System
Biological Products

Figure

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  Figure 1. The amplification sites of JEV gene for multiplex RT-PCR in JEV full genome.

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  Figure 2. Setting up annealing temperature to optimize temperature condition for detection of JEV genotypes. After conducting RT-PCR at three annealing temperature conditions (lane 1: 50°C, lane 2: 57°C, and lane 3: 62°C), the PCR products were visualized on the 1.8% agarose gel. JEV G3 cannot be amplified by RT-PCR of annealing temperature at 50°C and common parts of JEV G1 and G3 cannot be amplified distinctly at 62°C. Annealing temperature at 57°C turned to be reliable for detection of two JEV genotypes.

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  Figure 3. Sensitivity of the specific primer sets for detection of genotypes of JEV. Differential RT-PCR between JEV G1 and G3 (A, B, C and D). Sensitivity of primer sets for common and genotypes was set up based on the annealing temperature. M; 100 bp DNA ladder, lane 1–5; 10-fold serial dilutions of extracted RNA of JEV (106.0 TCID50/ml).

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  Figure 4. Specificity of differential JEV RT-PCR using three kinds of primer sets. The RT-PCR detected only genotype of JEV and did not have positive signal for any other viral pathogens. The seven viruses showing titer of 105.0 TCID50/ml or over were used to extract RNA or DNA. M; 100 bp DNA ladder, lane 1; classical swine fever virus, lane 2; porcine parvovirus, lane 3; encephalomyocarditis virus, lane 4; Aujezsky's disease virus, lane 5; transmissible gastroenteritis virus, lane 6; porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, lane 7; porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, lane 8; JEV G1 and 3, lane 9; JEV G1, lane 10; JEV G3, lane 11; distilled water (negative control).

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  Figure 5. Application of multiplex RT-PCR to commercial JE vaccines. Five JE vaccines and one Korean field strain (K95) showed positive reactions in the multiplex RT-PCR kit. M; 100 bp DNA ladder, lane 1; Anyang 300 strain, lane 2; KV1899 strain, lane 3; K95 strain, lane 4; Greencross® Porcine JE, lane 5; Daesung JE pig vac, lane 6; Suishot® JE, lane 7; Provac® JE, lane 8; Himmvac® JE.

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