Isolation, Characterization, and Comparative Analysis of Two Subtypes of Goose Astrovirus in Guangdong Province, China

Since 2017, an infectious disease characterized by gosling gout and caused by goose astrovirus (GAstV) has affected geese in most major goose-producing regions of China. In this study, a total of 385 geese displaying gout symptoms were sampled from 12 cities in Guangdong Province, China, between 201...

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Main Authors: Chenggang Liu, Linlin Li, Jiawen Dong, Jin Jin, Yong Xiang, Junqin Zhang, Qi Zhai, Yunzhen Huang, Binyi Sun, Ming Liao, Minhua Sun
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Microorganisms
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/5/1037
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author Chenggang Liu
Linlin Li
Jiawen Dong
Jin Jin
Yong Xiang
Junqin Zhang
Qi Zhai
Yunzhen Huang
Binyi Sun
Ming Liao
Minhua Sun
author_facet Chenggang Liu
Linlin Li
Jiawen Dong
Jin Jin
Yong Xiang
Junqin Zhang
Qi Zhai
Yunzhen Huang
Binyi Sun
Ming Liao
Minhua Sun
author_sort Chenggang Liu
collection DOAJ
description Since 2017, an infectious disease characterized by gosling gout and caused by goose astrovirus (GAstV) has affected geese in most major goose-producing regions of China. In this study, a total of 385 geese displaying gout symptoms were sampled from 12 cities in Guangdong Province, China, between 2019 and 2021. RT-PCR analysis revealed that all samples were positive for GAstV (385/385), with GAstV-II being the predominant subtype, accounting for 90.4% (348/385) of the cases. Co-infection with GAstV-I and GAstV-II was detected in 50.4% (194/385) of the samples. Additionally, different GAstV subtypes were successfully isolated using goose embryos, namely GDYJ-21-01 (GAstV-I) and GDZJ-21-01 (GAstV-II). Analysis of viral copy numbers in major pathological tissues following infection of goslings and goose embryos revealed that GDZJ strain exhibited broader tissue tropism than GDYJ strain. Compared to other tissues, GDYJ strain displayed tissue tropism exclusively in the cecal tonsils of goslings and the allantoic fluid of embryos. Structural prediction and alignment using AlphaFold 2.0 identified an α-helix in the S223-A226 region of the GDZJ VP34 protein, while a loop structure was observed in the Q235-Q237 region of the corresponding GDYJ VP34 protein. Furthermore, although the VP27 protein regions of both subtypes contained five β-sheet structures, the overall sequence similarity was relatively low, at 37.1%. This study broadens our understanding of the prevalence differences among GAstV subtypes and provides valuable insights into the development of reagents for preventing these viral infections.
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spelling doaj-art-4396cbf96ba0475585fd6e99b20337d72025-08-20T03:47:58ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072025-04-01135103710.3390/microorganisms13051037Isolation, Characterization, and Comparative Analysis of Two Subtypes of Goose Astrovirus in Guangdong Province, ChinaChenggang Liu0Linlin Li1Jiawen Dong2Jin Jin3Yong Xiang4Junqin Zhang5Qi Zhai6Yunzhen Huang7Binyi Sun8Ming Liao9Minhua Sun10Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza and Other Major Poultry Diseases, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention and Treatment of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaInstitute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza and Other Major Poultry Diseases, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention and Treatment of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaInstitute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza and Other Major Poultry Diseases, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention and Treatment of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaShanwei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanwei 516699, ChinaInstitute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza and Other Major Poultry Diseases, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention and Treatment of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaInstitute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza and Other Major Poultry Diseases, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention and Treatment of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaInstitute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza and Other Major Poultry Diseases, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention and Treatment of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaInstitute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza and Other Major Poultry Diseases, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention and Treatment of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaShanwei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanwei 516699, ChinaInstitute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza and Other Major Poultry Diseases, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention and Treatment of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaInstitute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza and Other Major Poultry Diseases, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention and Treatment of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaSince 2017, an infectious disease characterized by gosling gout and caused by goose astrovirus (GAstV) has affected geese in most major goose-producing regions of China. In this study, a total of 385 geese displaying gout symptoms were sampled from 12 cities in Guangdong Province, China, between 2019 and 2021. RT-PCR analysis revealed that all samples were positive for GAstV (385/385), with GAstV-II being the predominant subtype, accounting for 90.4% (348/385) of the cases. Co-infection with GAstV-I and GAstV-II was detected in 50.4% (194/385) of the samples. Additionally, different GAstV subtypes were successfully isolated using goose embryos, namely GDYJ-21-01 (GAstV-I) and GDZJ-21-01 (GAstV-II). Analysis of viral copy numbers in major pathological tissues following infection of goslings and goose embryos revealed that GDZJ strain exhibited broader tissue tropism than GDYJ strain. Compared to other tissues, GDYJ strain displayed tissue tropism exclusively in the cecal tonsils of goslings and the allantoic fluid of embryos. Structural prediction and alignment using AlphaFold 2.0 identified an α-helix in the S223-A226 region of the GDZJ VP34 protein, while a loop structure was observed in the Q235-Q237 region of the corresponding GDYJ VP34 protein. Furthermore, although the VP27 protein regions of both subtypes contained five β-sheet structures, the overall sequence similarity was relatively low, at 37.1%. This study broadens our understanding of the prevalence differences among GAstV subtypes and provides valuable insights into the development of reagents for preventing these viral infections.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/5/1037goose astrovirusgoutphylogenetic analysistissue tropismprotein structure
spellingShingle Chenggang Liu
Linlin Li
Jiawen Dong
Jin Jin
Yong Xiang
Junqin Zhang
Qi Zhai
Yunzhen Huang
Binyi Sun
Ming Liao
Minhua Sun
Isolation, Characterization, and Comparative Analysis of Two Subtypes of Goose Astrovirus in Guangdong Province, China
Microorganisms
goose astrovirus
gout
phylogenetic analysis
tissue tropism
protein structure
title Isolation, Characterization, and Comparative Analysis of Two Subtypes of Goose Astrovirus in Guangdong Province, China
title_full Isolation, Characterization, and Comparative Analysis of Two Subtypes of Goose Astrovirus in Guangdong Province, China
title_fullStr Isolation, Characterization, and Comparative Analysis of Two Subtypes of Goose Astrovirus in Guangdong Province, China
title_full_unstemmed Isolation, Characterization, and Comparative Analysis of Two Subtypes of Goose Astrovirus in Guangdong Province, China
title_short Isolation, Characterization, and Comparative Analysis of Two Subtypes of Goose Astrovirus in Guangdong Province, China
title_sort isolation characterization and comparative analysis of two subtypes of goose astrovirus in guangdong province china
topic goose astrovirus
gout
phylogenetic analysis
tissue tropism
protein structure
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/5/1037
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