PK15 cell line stably overexpressing IL2 enhances PCV2 replication

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is the primary agent responsible for porcine circovirus-associated diseases (PCVADs), which is acknowledged as one of the most economically important diseases for the swine industry worldwide. Currently, the development of PCV2 vaccine against PCVADs and for other applications require large amounts of viral particles. The low propagation rate of PCV2 in vitro limits vaccine production. Previous studies showed that a cell line transfected with the porcine interleukin (IL)-2 gene gave higher PCV2 yield in vitro. However, transient transfection may become less effective and unstable after serial generations. In this work, we constructed a PK15 cell line with stable expression of porcine IL2 by lentivirus transfection. The results demonstrated that the transgenic cell line stably expressed IL2 protein significantly enhanced PCV2 replication. Thus, the transgenic PK15 cell line could be a promising cell line for vaccine production.