Utilisation des organoïdes intestinaux porcins pour l’étude du virus de la gastro-entérite transmissible

Remerciements : Institut CARNOT AgriFoodTransition; National audience; To date, host-virus interactions have been studied mainly in cell cultures and/or animal models. These approaches come up against two problems: i) methodological, usually related to using immortalized cell lines, which can differ greatly from the target cells of the virus, and ii) ethical, related to experimenting with animals, which can induce varying degrees of symptoms and cause suffering and death. The recent development of organoids has made it possible to develop ex vivo models whose experimental conditions are significantly closer to physiological conditions. Using organoids makes it possible to plan to decrease animal experimentation greatly, in line with the 3Rs principle (Reduction, Refinement, Replacement), and each animal can potentially produce thousands of organoids from different tissues. The Viral Genetics and Biosafety Unit applies the porcine organoid system developed locally as part of the PigOrg project (of INRAE, ANSES and INSERM, funded by the Carnot Agrifood Transition Institute) to models of enteric coronavirosis in piglets, which has a strong impact on the pig industry. Here, we used the porcine transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEv) as a model, for which several strains of varying virulence exist and which can be cultivated on immortalized cells, to establish protocols of infections of different organoids(jejunum, duodenum, and ileum). Infections seem more effective for the jejunum than for the duodenum or ileum, and for viruses isolated on cells than on organ homogenate. This organoid system, which connects in vitro and in vivo conditions, will open novel and original perspectives into understanding the physiopathology of virus infections, especially deciphering host-pathogen interactions, without always needing to rely on extensive animal experiments.