Antiviral activity of bovine type III interferon against foot-and-mouth disease virus

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is one of the most serious threats to the livestock industry. Despite the availability of a vaccine, recent outbreaks in disease-free countries have demonstrated that development of novel FMD control strategies is imperative. Here we report the identification and characterization of bovine (bo) interferon lambda 3 (IFN-lambda 3), a member of the type III IFN family. Expression of bolFN-lambda 3 using a replication-defective human adenovirus type 5 vector (Ad5-bolFN-lambda 3) yielded a glycosylated secreted protein with antiviral activity against FMD virus (FMDV) and vesicular stomatitis virus in bovine cell culture. Inoculation of cattle with Ad5-bolFN-lambda 3 induced systemic antiviral activity and up-regulation of IFN stimulated gene expression in multiple tissues susceptible to FMDV infection. Our results demonstrate that the type III IFN family is conserved in bovines and bolFN-lambda 3 has potential for further development as a biotherapeutic candidate to inhibit FMDV or other viruses in cattle. Published by Elsevier Inc.