Transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV)-based vectors with engineered murine tropism express the rotavirus VP7 protein and immunize mice against rotavirus

A coronavirus vector based on the genome of the porcine transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) expressing the rotavirus VP7 protein was constructed to immunize and protect against rotavirus infections in a murine model. The tropism of this TGEV-derived vector was modified by replacing the spike S protein with the homologous protein from mouse hepatitis virus (MHV). The rotavirus gene encoding the VP7 protein was cloned into the coronavirus cDNA. BALB/c and STAT1-deficient mice were inoculated with the recombinant viral vector rTGEVS-MHV-VP7, which replicates in the intestine and spreads to other organs such as liver, spleen and lungs. TGEV-specific antibodies were detected in all the in…