Acta Agriculturae Zhejiangensis ›› 2025, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (12): 2494-2503.DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20250359

• Animal Science • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Molecular characterization and genetic evolutionary analysis of hemagglutinin gene of five H9N2 subtype avian influenza viruses in Zhejiang Province, China

LIU Shizhe1,2(), HUA Jionggang2, CHEN Liu2, XIE Ronghui3, YE Weicheng2, ZHANG Chuanliang3, ZHU Yinchu2, FENG Xiaoxiao3, FU Yuan2, NI Zheng2, ZHANG Cun2, QU Yonggang1,*(), YUN Tao2,*()   

  1. 1. College of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, Xinjiang, China
    2. Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Biotech Breeding, Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Resources (Poultry) Evaluation and Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhejiang Engineering Research Center for Poultry Breeding Industry and Green Farming Technology, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
    3. Zhejiang Center of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou 311199, China
  • Received:2025-05-06 Online:2025-12-25 Published:2026-01-09

Abstract:

Avian influenza virus (AIV) subtype H9N2 is the most prevalent low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAIV) in avian species in China, posing a serious threat to the farming industry and public health safety due to its persistent antigenic drift and the risk of cross-species transmission. In order to understand the genetic evolutionary characteristics of H9N2 subtype AIV prevalent in Zhejiang Province, the present study was conducted to determine the gene sequence and molecular characterization of the hemagglutinin (HA) gene of five locally isolated H9N2 subtype AIV strains. The results showed that the five isolates belonged to the h9.4.2.1 and h9.4.2.5 branches of the Eurasian lineage, and the nucleotide and amino acid homologies of the HA gene ranged from 83.51% to 99.88% and 86.33% to 99.83%, respectively. Notably, the isolates A/Chicken/Zhejiang/HZ01/2022 and A/Duck/Zhejiang/TZ01/2022 showed only 88.24%-88.35% nucleotide homology and 89.43%-90.82% amino acid homology of HA gene with the vaccine strain CK/SS/94. The HA cleavage sites of all isolates were characterized by single basic amino acid, which was consistent with the characteristics of low pathogenicity virus. Receptor binding site analysis revealed mutations I163T, H191N, A198T/V, Q234L, and Q235M, which might enhance the binding ability of the virus to the human sialic acid α-2,6-galactose receptor. Glycosylation site analysis revealed the presence of 7-8 potential glycosylation sites in the isolates, with deletions at sites 218 and 551 and additions at sites 206 and 313, and these mutations may enhance viral adaptation to mammalian hosts. In addition, HA protein antigenic sites were present with mutations at 234, 285 and 334, while sites 181, 280, 281 and 296 were highly conserved. The study suggests that Zhejiang Province H9N2 subtype AIV continues to evolve through mutations at key sites and altered glycosylation patterns, which may lead to enhanced virulence, decreased vaccine protection efficacy, and increased risk of cross-species transmission. There is an urgent need to strengthen the molecular surveillance of local endemic strains and optimize the vaccine strain match to enhance the control efficacy and reduce the public health threat.

Key words: Avian influenza virus, H9N2 subtype, HA gene, genetic evolution, genetic analysis

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