Assessment of the virulence for chickens of Newcastle Disease virus with an engineered multi-basic cleavage site in the fusion protein and disrupted V protein gene

Newcastle Disease virus (NDV) has shown promise as an oncolytic virus for treatment of a wide range of tumours. NDV with a multi-basic cleavage site (MBCS) in the fusion (F) protein (NDV F3aa) has increased oncolytic efficacy in several tumour models, but also increased virulence in chickens compared to non-virulent NDV F0, raising potential environmental safety issues. Previously, we generated a variant of NDV F3aa with a disrupted V protein gene and a substitution of phenylalanine to serine at position 117 of the F protein (NDV F3aa-S-STOPV). Compared to NDV F3aa this virus had decreased virulence in embryonated chicken eggs. In this study, the virulence of the virus was evaluated upon inoculation of six-week-old chickens through a natural infection route and by determination of the intracerebral pathogenicity index (ICPI). Based on these data NDV F3aa-S-STOPV classified as a non-virulent virus. Although NDV F3aa was classified as a virulent virus based on the ICPI, the virus was also less pathogenic than NDV F0 upon inoculation of six-week-old chickens. These data indicate that NDV with a MBCS is not necessarily pathogenic in chickens. In addition, these data show that F3aa-S-STOPV is safe to use in viro-immunotherapies without posing a threat for chickens upon accidental exposure.