Enhancing the antivirus activity of chimeric canine interferon with ricin subunit B by using nanoparticle formulations

Despite interferon alpha having a broad spectrum of antiviral activity and strong antiproliferative activity, its applications are severely limited due to the intrinsic properties of proteins, such as poor stability and short serum half-life. In our study, canine interferon alpha (CaIFNα) gene was fused with the ricin toxin B chain (RTB) to form rCaIFNα/RTB, which encodes a 463-amino acid protein containing a 15-amino acid encoded (G(4)S)(3) flexible linker. After expression in prokaryote, purification and renaturation, the cytotoxicity and antiviral activity of rCaIFNα/RTB were investigated in Madin–Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. rCaIFNα/RTB exerted a superior anti-vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) activity on MDCK cells. Furthermore, we have developed a nanoparticle formulation of rCaIFNα/RTB by using polyethylenimine (PEI) through electrostatic interaction. rCaIFNα/RTB@PEI(10000) is more stable than rCaIFNα/RTB at various pH and temperature levels, and it possesses enhanced antiviral activity. Our findings facilitate further research on the role of type I IFN in antiviral defense responses in Canis lupus familiaris.