Publication

Species-independent bioassay for sensitive quantification of antiviral type I interferons

Journal Paper/Review - Jan 1, 2010

Units
PubMed
Doi

Citation
Kuri T, Habjan M, Penski N, Weber F. Species-independent bioassay for sensitive quantification of antiviral type I interferons. Virol J 2010; 7:50.
Type
Journal Paper/Review (English)
Journal
Virol J 2010; 7
Publication Date
Jan 1, 2010
Issn Electronic
1743-422X
Pages
50
Brief description/objective

BACKGROUND: Studies of the host response to infection often require quantitative measurement of the antiviral type I interferons (IFN-alpha/beta) in biological samples. The amount of IFN is either determined via its ability to suppress a sensitive indicator virus, by an IFN-responding reporter cell line, or by ELISA. These assays however are either time-consuming and lack convenient readouts, or they are rather insensitive and restricted to IFN from a particular host species. RESULTS: An IFN-sensitive, Renilla luciferase-expressing Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV-Ren) was generated using reverse genetics. Human, murine and avian cells were tested for their susceptibility to RVFV-Ren after treatment with species-specific IFNs. RVFV-Ren was able to infect cells of all three species, and IFN-mediated inhibition of viral reporter activity occurred in a dose-dependent manner. The sensitivity limit was found to be 1 U/ml IFN, and comparison with a standard curve allowed to determine the activity of an unknown sample. CONCLUSIONS: RVFV-Ren replicates in cells of several species and is highly sensitive to pre-treatment with IFN. These properties allowed the development of a rapid, sensitive, and species-independent antiviral assay with a convenient luciferase-based readout.