Molecular Characterization of Transcriptome-wide Interactions between Highly Pathogenic Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus and Porcine Alveolar Macrophages in vivo

Zhou, Ping; Zhai, Shanli; Zhou, Xiang; Lin, Ping; Jiang, Tengfei; Hu, Xueying; Jiang, Yunbo; Wu, Bin; Zhang, Qingde; Xu, Xuewen; Li, Jin-ping; Liu, Bang

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), caused by PRRS virus (PRRSV) which belongs to the genus Arterivirus of the family Arteriviridae, is the most economically significant disease effecting commercially bred pigs world-wide [1] . This disease is characterized by anorexia, increased late-term Ivyspring International Publisher abortions, increased number of stillborn pigs, mummified fetuses, weak live-born piglets, increased pre-weaning mortality, and delayed return to estrus [2] . In vivo, PRRSV productive infection occurs predominately in alveolar macrophages of the lung [3] , followed by viremia and subsequent interstitial pneumonia within 3 days [4] . It was hypothesized that respiratory pathology, especially lung damage during PRRSV infection, results from an overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the lungs [5] .