In vitro inhibition of feline leukaemia virus infection by synthetic peptides derived from the transmembrane domain

Methods: Cell cultures were exposed to FeLV subgroup A prior to the addition of the peptides. The inhibitory effect of the peptides was assessed by measuring FeLV gag protein in the supernatant of peptide versus mock-treated cell cultures using an ELISA.

Background: The feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) is a gammaretrovirus commonly affecting cats. Infection with this virus often leads to fatal outcomes and, so far, no cure is available for this disease. Synthetic peptides with structures mimicking the transmembrane protein of the viral surface proteins hold the potential to effectively interfere with viral entry by hampering the fusion of viral and host cell membranes and constitute a novel approach for the treatment of infections with retroviruses. We identified and synthetically produced 11 FeLV peptides and evaluated their potential to block FeLV infection in vitro.