RNA interference screening of interferon-stimulated genes with antiviral activities against classical swine fever virus using a reporter virus

• A reporter classical swine fever virus (CSFV) stably expressing the Renilla luciferase was generated.
• The reporter virus showed a growth curve indistinguishable from that of the parent virus.
• The reporter virus together with siRNAs was used to screen anti-CSFV ISGs from 21 candidates.
• Four potent anti-CSFV ISGs, NRAMP1, NT5C3A, OAS1, and CXCL10, were identified and verified.

Classical swine fever (CSF) caused by classical swine fever virus (CSFV) is a highly contagious and often fatal disease of pigs, which leads to significant economic losses in many countries. Viral infection can induce the production of interferons (IFNs), giving rise to the transcription of hundreds of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) to exert antiviral effects. Although numerous ISGs have been identified to possess antiviral activities against different viruses, rare anti-CSFV ISGs have been reported to date. In this study, to screen anti-CSFV ISGs, twenty-one ISGs reported previously were individually knocked down using small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) followed by infection with a reporter CSFV expressing Renilla luciferase (Rluc). As a result, four novel anti-CSFV ISGs were identified, including natural-resistance-associated macrophage protein 1 (NRAMP1), cytosolic 5′-nucleotidase III A (NT5C3A), chemokine C-X-C motif ligand 10 (CXCL10), and 2′-5′-oligoadenylate synthetase 1 (OAS1), which were further verified to exhibit antiviral activities against wild-type CSFV. We conclude that the reporter virus is a useful tool for efficient screening anti-CSFV ISGs.