@article{mbs:/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/0022-1317-82-5-1233, author = "Yamaguchi, S. and Imada, T. and Kaji, N. and Mase, M. and Tsukamoto, K. and Tanimura, N. and Yuasa, N.", title = "Identification of a genetic determinant of pathogenicity in chicken anaemia virus", journal= "Journal of General Virology", year = "2001", volume = "82", number = "5", pages = "1233-1238", doi = "https://doi.org/10.1099/0022-1317-82-5-1233", url = "https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/0022-1317-82-5-1233", publisher = "Microbiology Society", issn = "1465-2099", type = "Journal Article", abstract = "The molecular basis of pathogenicity of the chicken anaemia virus (CAV) needs to be clarified in order to develop a safe, live virus vaccine. In this study, several high- and low-pathogenic infectious DNA clones were obtained from field virus samples after 12 or 38 passages in MDCC-MSB1 cells. The high-pathogenic clones induced a low haematocrit, low weight gain and high mortality. Nucleotide sequence analyses identified one amino acid, at residue 394 of the VP1 capsid protein, as a major determinant of pathogenicity. To determine the role of this amino acid in pathogenicity, chimeric infectious DNA clones and point-mutated clones were used for chicken pathogenicity tests. These analyses clearly demonstrated that residue 394 of VP1 was crucial for the pathogenicity of CAV; all of the cloned viruses with glutamine at this position were highly pathogenic, whereas those with histidine had low pathogenicity. Low-pathogenic CAV, based on an infectious DNA clone, is a candidate for a genetically homogeneous and stable CAV live vaccine.", }