Transcriptomic and Proteomic Profiling of Rabbit Kidney Cells Infected with Equine Herpesvirus 8.
Abstract: The present study investigated the host cell response to EHV-8 infection in rabbit kidney (RK-13) cells through transcriptomic and proteomic approaches. At 24 h post-infection, a total of 2118 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, with 1338 upregulated and 780 downregulated. At 48 h, 7388 DEGs were detected, with 4342 upregulated and 3046 downregulated genes. Proteomic analysis revealed 932 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) at 24 h (364 upregulated and 568 downregulated) and 3866 DEPs at 48 h (2285 upregulated and 1581 downregulated). Of these, 237 upregulated and 336 downregulated proteins were common across both time points. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis indicated that the majority of DEGs and DEPs were enriched in key inflammation-related pathways, notably the TNF and NF-κB signaling pathways. Validation of the transcriptomic and proteomic data was performed using RT-PCR and parallel reaction monitoring (PRM), respectively, and confirmed consistent trends for TNFR1, NF-κB p65, and MAP3K8, as reported in the transcriptomic and proteomic screening. These findings suggest that EHV-8 infection may modulate host immune responses by activating the TNF signaling pathway. However, given that RK-13 cells may not fully replicate viral-host interactions in equine species, further in vivo studies in horses and donkeys are required to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the viral pathogenesis in these animals.
Publication Date: 2025-04-29 PubMed ID: 40431657PubMed Central: PMC12115596DOI: 10.3390/v17050647Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research investigates how rabbit kidney cells respond to infection by Equine Herpesvirus 8 (EHV-8) by studying changes in gene and protein expression. The study finds that the virus likely influences the host’s immune responses by activating certain inflammatory pathways.
Understanding the Study
- The research focuses on how rabbit kidney cells (also known as RK-13 cells) react when infected by Equine Herpesvirus 8 (EHV-8).
- For this study, they used transcriptomic and proteomic methods. Transcriptomics involves studying the RNA molecules, or transcripts produced by the cell under investigations. Proteomics, on the other hand, is the study of the structure and function of proteins, the main workers in the cell.
Investigation of Gene and Protein Expression
- The researchers looked at genes and proteins that were being over- or under-expressed at two time points during the infection: 24 hours and 48 hours post-infection.
- They found 2118 Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) at the 24-hour mark, with 1338 being upregulated (increased expression) and 780 downregulated (decreased expression). At the 48-hour mark, they detected 7388 DEGs with 4342 upregulated and 3046 downregulated genes.
- Regarding the proteins, they identified 932 Differentially Expressed Proteins (DEPs) at 24 hours (364 upregulated and 568 downregulated) and 3866 DEPs at 48 hours (2285 upregulated and 1581 downregulated).
- The researchers also found that some proteins (237 upregulated and 336 downregulated) were common at both 24 and 48 hours.
Pathway Analysis
- Further study revealed that quite a lot of the DEGs and DEPs were connected to key inflammation-related pathways, specifically the TNF and NF-κB signaling pathways. These pathways are known to play important roles in immune response and inflammation.
- The evidence of the involvement of these pathways suggests that EHV-8 infection could be manipulating the host immune response by activating the TNF signaling pathway.
Validation and Future Research
- The researchers used RT-PCR and parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) to validate the transcriptomic and proteomic data. The trends for specific genes (TNFR1, NF-κB p65, and MAP3K8) identified in the transcriptomic and proteomic screening were confirmed in the validation.
- However, since the study was carried out in rabbit kidney cells which may not accurately mimic viral-host interactions in equine species, the researchers suggest in vivo studies (studies performed in living organisms) in horses and donkeys to gain a broader understanding of the viral pathogenicity in these animals.
Cite This Article
APA
Ji Y, Xu D, Si W, Zhang Y, Khan MZ, Zhao X, Liu W.
(2025).
Transcriptomic and Proteomic Profiling of Rabbit Kidney Cells Infected with Equine Herpesvirus 8.
Viruses, 17(5), 647.
https://doi.org/10.3390/v17050647 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Agriculture and Biology, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Agriculture and Biology, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Agriculture and Biology, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Agriculture and Biology, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Agriculture and Biology, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Agriculture and Biology, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Agriculture and Biology, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Rabbits
- Kidney / virology
- Kidney / cytology
- Kidney / metabolism
- Proteomics
- Transcriptome
- Gene Expression Profiling
- Cell Line
- Proteome
- Herpesviridae Infections / virology
- Herpesviridae Infections / veterinary
- Signal Transduction
- Varicellovirus
- Host-Pathogen Interactions
Grant Funding
- ZR2023MC209 / Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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