Rift Valley Fever Virus (RVFV) Antigens

Rift Valley Fever Virus (RVFV) is a member of the genus Phlebovirus in the family Bunyavirales. RVFV causes the rift valley fever (RVF), a viral zoonosis. RVF can cause mild to severe symptoms. The mild symptoms may include: fever, muscle pains, and headaches which often last for up to a week. The severe symptoms may include: loss of sight beginning three weeks after the infection, infections of the brain causing severe headaches and confusion, and bleeding together with liver problems which may occur within the first few days. Those who have bleeding have a chance of death as high as 50%. People usually get Rift Valley fever through contact with blood, body fluids, or tissues of infected animals, mainly livestock such as cattle, sheep, goats, buffalo, and camels. People can also get RVF through bites from infected mosquitoes or breathe in the air around an infected animal being butchered.

RVFV is a negative-sense, enveloped RNA virus. The virus particles are 90-110 nm in diameter and consist of an envelope and a ribonucleocapsid (RNP). RVFV has a tripartite, ambisense genome with a length of about 11.5 kbp, and it is composed of three segments identified as L, M and S, which are used as templates to generate complementary RNA (cRNA) and messenger RNA (mRNA). The M and L segments are negative-sense, but the S segment is ambisense. The three segments of RVFV genome encode six major proteins of RVFV: the L protein (the viral polymerase), glycoprotein G(C), glycoprotein G(N), nucleocapsid N protein, and two non-structural protein NSs and NSm proteins.

Fig.1 Schematic diagram of Rift Valley Fever virus¹

The RVFV envelope is made up of dimers of the viral glycoproteins, Gn and Gc, organized with icosahedral symmetry and projecting as 12-nm-long cylindrical spikes on the envelope. The glycoproteins are involved in the penetration of the virus and virions escape from infected cells. They induce the production of neutralizing antibodies, which play an important role in protection. RVFV enters cells by endocytosis and delivers its genome into the cytoplasm of the host cell by fusion with endosomal membranes. Transcription, translation, and replication occur in the cytoplasm. Newly replicated viral genomic segments and proteins are recruited to the Golgi for assembly and packaging of virus particles. Mature virions are released from the infected cell.

Fig.2 Rift Valley fever virus replication cycle²

Gn, Gc, and N make up the major antigenic proteins and are therefore the common targets for diagnostic and vaccine development. Creative Diagnostics now can provide multiple Rift valley fever virus (RVFV) antigens and proteins for different applications with high-quality and lower cost. Welcome to contact us for more details.