Rescue of eGFP-expressing small ruminant morbillivirus for identifying susceptibilities of eight mammalian cell lines to its infection.

Small ruminant morbillivirus (SRMV), formerly called peste-des-petits-ruminants virus (PPRV), is classified into the genus Morbillivirus in the family Paramyxoviridae. If genetically modified using reverse genetics, the SRMV would be a useful vector to express foreign proteins in vitro and in vivo. In this study, a recombinant SRMV was rescued by reverse genetics for efficiently expressing an enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) in vitro. Based on green fluorescence-tracked characteristics of the recombinant SRMV, eight mammalian cell lines (BHK-21, F81, MDBK, RK13, MDCK, PK15, Vero and GT) were selected for identifying their susceptibilities to SRMV infection. The result showed that all cell lines could be infected with the recombinant SRMV but at different efficiencies. The Vero and PK15 cell lines showed the highest and lowest susceptibilities to its infection, respectively, if merely comparing the proportions of green fluorescence-emitting cells among eight cell monolayers.