KC cells (Culicoides variipennis) were grown at 28 °C in Schneider’s Drosophila medium, supplemented with 10% foetal bovine serum (FBS). BHK-21 cells (European Collection Selleck JNK inhibitor of Animal cell Cultures: ECACC – 84100501), or BSR cells (a clone of BHK-21 a gift from Dr. Noel Tordo, Institut Pasteur)

were grown at 37 °C in Glasgow’s Minimum-Essential-Medium supplemented with 10% FBS. BTV-4(SPA2003/01) was from blood of sheep showing severe clinical disease (Spain 2003). The virus was isolated in embryonated eggs then adapted to BHK-21 cells (E1/BHK4). BTV-4(SPA2003/01) was used for RNA extraction/cDNA synthesis for the purpose of generating protein expression constructs. BTV-4-Italy03 and BTV-8-France-28 were isolated in embryonated eggs, from sheep-blood (Italy), or cow-blood (France), then adapted to BHK-21 cells (BTV-4-E1/BHK4 or BTV-8-E1/BHK2). These isolates were used for homologous and heterologous challenge of IFNAR−/− mice. Six weeks-old female Balb/cByJ mice were obtained from Charles River laboratories. Groups of six animals were immunised

with proteins to assess NAb production. Six weeks-old female IFNAR−/− mice (genetic background: A129SvEvBrd) were obtained from B&K Universal Ltd. Groups of six animals were used for immunisation with soluble expressed-proteins followed by homologous or heterologous challenge with live BTV. Immunisation protocols were approved by ethics committees at the Pirbright Institute (license number 70/6133) and ANSES (license number 12/04/11-5). Previous analysis has indicated that BTV-VP2

is potentially made of two related domains [18]. We used BTV-4(SPA2003/01) BGJ398 research buy VP2 domains which encompassed amino acid sequences 63–471 (44.5 kDa) and 555–956 (46 kDa) (nucleotide positions: 187–1326 and 1663–2868, Genbank accession: KJ700442). VP5 lacked aa 1–100 (used sequence encompassed nucleotide positions 289–1581, Genbank accession: AJ783908) while the full-length aa sequence of VP7 was used (nucleotide positions: 1–1050, Genbank accession: KJ700443). All cDNAs were cloned into pGEX-4T-2 (expressing GST). The resulting plasmids are pGEX-BTV4VP2D1, pGEX-BTV4VP2D2, almost pGEX-BTV4VP5 and pGEXBTV4VP7. Their sequences were confirmed by comparison to parental virus sequences. Theoretical sizes of the GST-fused proteins are 70.5 kDa (VP2 domain 1), 72 kDa (VP2 domain 2), 73 kD (VP5 lacking aa 1–100) and 64.5 kDa for the VP7. The full-length ORFs of VP2, VP5 and VP7 were also cloned in the mammalian-expression plasmid pCIneo (pCIneo-BTV-4VP2, pCIneo-BTV-4VP5, or pCIneo-BTV-4VP7). pGEX-BTV4VP2D1, pGEX-BTV4VP2D2, pGEX-BTV4VP5 and pGEXBTV4VP7 were used to transform C41 bacteria, known to improve solubility of expressed proteins [28]. Overnight bacterial cultures were grown in 2XYT medium at 37 °C. On the day of expression bacterial cultures were grown until OD600 reached 0.6, then fusion-protein expression was induced by addition of 0.5 mM IPTG and incubation of the cultures at 28 °C for 4 h with shaking at 200 rpm.