Betanodaviruses [nervous necrosis virus (NNV)] are the causative agent of the viral encephalopathy
and retinopathy, a disease that affects cultured Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis).
NNV reassortants, combining genomic segments from redspotted grouper nervous necrosis
virus (RGNNV) and striped jack nervous necrosis virus (SJNNV) genotypes, have been previously
isolated from several fish species. The wild-type reassortant wSs160.03, isolated from
Senegalese sole, has been proven to be more virulent to sole than the parental genotypes
(RGNNV and SJNNV), causing 100% mortality. Mutations at amino acids 247 (serine to
alanine) and 270 (serine to asparagine) in the wSs160.03 capsid protein have allowed us to
obtain a mutant reassortant (rSs160.03247+270), which provokes a 40% mortality decrease.
In this study, the RNA-Seq technology has been used to comparatively analyze Senegalese
sole transcriptomes in two organs (head kidney and eye/brain) after infection with wild-type
and mutant strains.
