Winslow Chair in Modern Science and Professor of Biology Wei-Jen Chang is a co-author of “A comprehensive analysis of the genomic and proteomic profiles of a megalocytivirus isolated from Larimichthys crocea,” recently published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology.
Chang and fellow researchers in China conducted a new study of Larimichthys crocea, the largest marine fish under aquaculture in China, and one that is especially affected by megalocytivirus. They noted that the most recent Megalocytivirus studies of this type were more than 10 years ago, and said, “in recent years, viral diseases, particularly those caused by megalocytivirus from the family Iridoviridae, have increasingly posed a threat to the sustainable development of marine fish aquaculture, including Larimichthys crocea, in China.”
In their work, the group presented the complete genome of a recently characterized Megalocytivirus strain, known as FD201807, which was isolated in 2018. By integrating “genomic and proteomic analyses to identify immunogenic structural proteins and membrane proteins that may play a crucial role in viral invasion,” they say they are better able to understand the infection mechanisms of megalocytivirus and lay the groundwork for developing subunit vaccines against this virus.
