Construction and identification of influenza plasmid pool imparting high yields to candidate vaccine viruses in Vero cell at low temperature.

We generated plasmid pools for the rapid preparation of candidate vaccine strains, which could grow in the Vero cells at low temperature. Firstly, we cloned in the pHW2000 plasmid each of the eight gene segments (PB2, PB1, PA, hemagglutinin [HA], neuraminidase [NA], NS, NP, M) of two master donor strains (MDS), respectively, A/Yunnan/1/2005Vca(H3N2) and B/Yunnan/2/2005Vca(By), which had Vca phenotype (cold-adapted phenotype in Vero cells). Secondly, the similar operation was implemented with each of the HA, NA and NP segments of circulating strains with epidemic potential (parental strains). The virus rescue techniques were employed in this study, according to the homology rate of HA segments between MDS and parental strains. Then, we harvested amount of new Vca virus strains. By transmission electron microscope, it could observe new viruses' diameter and length were from 100 to 120 nm. Importantly, these reassortant viruses could get high-yield production in Vero cells at 25℃ from the beginning to the fourth generation, which was significantly differ from their original parental viruses. Additional, these production 16 new Vca strains could maintain enough antibody binding capacity and attenuation phenotype, which consisted with their MDS. So these plasmid pools constructed by mount of different influenza A and B virus gene fragments could present desired working performance and provide convenience and realization for more Vca reassortant virus as candidate vaccine strain if needing.
(© 2020 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)