Autophagy induced by avian reovirus enhances viral replication in chickens at the early stage of infection

BACKGROUND: Avian reovirus (ARV) is an important pathogen that can cause serious disease in poultry. Though several in vitro studies revealed some molecular mechanisms that are responsible for ARV-induced autophagy, it is still largely unknown how ARV manipulates autophagy to promote its own propagation. RESULTS: In this study, we demonstrated that ARV infection triggered autophagy in chicken tissues, evident from the enhancement of LC3-I/−II conversion and the appearance of abundant autophagosomes. Moreover, viral replication and the expression of IL-1β were coupled with the process of ARV-induced autophagy in the early stage of infection. Furthermore, regulation of autophagy affected the accumulation of LC3-II, the production of ARV and the expression of IL-1β. CONCLUSIONS: Altogether, our data suggest that ARV induces autophagy, which benefits its replication and dissemination in chicken tissues at the early infection stage. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12917-019-1926-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.