Cloning and phylogenetic analysis of N protein gene from Rift Valley Fever Virus (RVFV)

TL;DR

This paper reports the cloning and analysis of the N protein gene from the Rift Valley Fever Virus in Saudi Arabia, revealing high similarity to other isolates and genetic variations.

Contribution

The study provides the first cloning and phylogenetic analysis of the RVFV-N protein gene in Saudi Arabia.

Findings

The N protein gene showed 99.5% similarity with a Saudi Arabian human isolate.

There were 51 nucleotide and 31 amino acid variations in the N protein gene sequences.

Phylogenetic analysis grouped the Saudi isolates closely with others from the region.

Abstract

Rift Valley Fever (RVF) is a mosquito-borne viral zoonosis caused by RVFV in humans and livestock. Currently, there are no approved
vaccines or antiviral therapies available. Additionally, in Saudi Arabia, there is a lack of a routine screening system to monitor RVFV
in humans and animals which hinders to design and develop the preventive measures as well as the prediction of future outbreaks and the
potential re-emergence of RVFV. Hence, we have performed the cloning, sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis, of nucleocapsid (N) protein
gene. The sequence analysis showed high similarities with RVFV isolates reported from humans and animals. The highest similarity (99.5%)
was observed with an isolate from Saudi Arabia (KU978775-Human) followed by 99.1% with four RVFV isolates (Human and Bovine) from other
locations. A total of 51 nucleotides and 31 amino acid variations were observed throughout the N protein gene sequences. The phylogenetic
relationship formed closed clusters with other isolates collected from Saudi Arabia. Thus, we report of the cloning, sequencing, and
phylogenetic analysis of the RVFV-N protein gene from Saudi Arabia.

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