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. 2014 Oct;97(2):333-40.
doi: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2014.07.016. Epub 2014 Jul 30.

Mutations in the 3c and 7b genes of feline coronavirus in spontaneously affected FIP cats

C M Borschensky  1 , M Reinacher  2
Affiliations

Mutations in the 3c and 7b genes of feline coronavirus in spontaneously affected FIP cats

C M Borschensky et al. Res Vet Sci. 2014 Oct.

Abstract

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is the most frequent lethal infectious disease in cats. However, understanding of FIP pathogenesis is still incomplete. Mutations in the ORF 3c/ORF 7b genes are proposed to play a role in the occurrence of the fatal FIPV biotype. Here, we investigated 282 tissue specimens from 28 cats that succumbed to FIP. Within one cat, viral sequences from different organs were similar or identical, whereas greater discrepancies were found comparing sequences from various cats. Eleven of the cats exhibited deletions in the 3c gene, resulting in truncated amino acid sequences. The 7b gene was affected by deletions only in one cat. In three of the FIP cats, coronavirus isolates with both intact 3c genes as well as 7b genes of full length could also be detected. Thus, deletions or stop codons in the 3c sequence seem to be a frequent but not compelling feature of FIPVs.

Keywords: 3c gene; 7b gene; Cat; Coronavirus; Mutation.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
(a) Phylogenetic tree to demonstrate sequence variations in the 3c gene between FCoV strains from different cats. (b) Phylogenetic tree to demonstrate sequence variations in the 7b gene between FCoV strains from different cats. (Created by ClustalW, visualised by TreeView). The further the branches of the diagram are from each other, the more variations exist between sequences of different cats. The bar length gives information about the relative number of sequence variations between adjacent strains.
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
(a) Phylogenetic tree to demonstrate sequence variations in the 3c gene between FCoV strains from different cats. (b) Phylogenetic tree to demonstrate sequence variations in the 7b gene between FCoV strains from different cats. (Created by ClustalW, visualised by TreeView). The further the branches of the diagram are from each other, the more variations exist between sequences of different cats. The bar length gives information about the relative number of sequence variations between adjacent strains.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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