Mechanistic insights into the kidney injury in chickens induced by hypervirulent fowl adenovirus serotype 4

• Published in: Microbiology spectrum Vol. 13; no. 5; p. e0005825
• Main Authors: Zhu, Chunhua, Zhou, Jiayu, Chen, Zhen, Chen, Cuiteng, Wang, Ziyue, Yang, Pei, Fu, Guanghua, Liu, Xiaodong, Huang, Yu, Wan, Chunhe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society for Microbiology 25.03.2025
• Subjects: autophagosome-like vesicles' delivery; hypervirulent fowl adenovirus serotype 4; inflammation; kidney injury; Research Article; Veterinary Microbiology; autophagosome-like vesicles' delivery; kidney injury; inflammation; hypervirulent fowl adenovirus serotype 4
• ISSN: 2165-0497; 2165-0497
• DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00058-25

Hypervirulent fowl adenovirus serotype 4 (FAdV-4) has become globally prevalent since 2015 as a predominant pathogen on poultry farms, leading to substantial economic losses for the poultry industry. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying kidney injury induced by FAdV-4 infection remain unclear. In this study, we primarily elucidated the mechanisms of kidney injury induced by FAdV-4 infection in chickens, utilizing both in vitro and in vivo models. Our results demonstrate that FAdV-4 infection in chickens causes degeneration and necrosis of kidney epithelial cells, glomerular injury, and expansion of the endoplasmic reticulum, while also triggering a robust inflammatory response in kidney cells. Notably, we observed the cell-to-cell transmission of virus particles delivered by autophagosome-like vesicles, and the viral infection-induced cellular autophagy facilitated viral replication in the kidney cells. These findings offer a novel perspective to understand the molecular mechanisms of FAdV-4-induced kidney injury and establish a basis for further investigation into the molecular pathogenesis of hypervirulent FAdV-4.