Pseudorabies virus as vaccine vectors for delivering foreign antigens: methodology and application

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is the etiological agent of pseudorabies (PR). It belongs to the Herpesviridae family and has double-stranded linear DNA encoding more than 70 proteins. Many of these proteins are non-essential for viral replication and provide insertion sites for foreign genes to enable heterologous protein expression. PRV is a promising viral-vector platform for expressing foreign proteins and developing vaccines against multiple pathogens. However, no recombinant PRV-vectored vaccines are commercially available to date. Here, we summarize the biological characteristics of PRV, recombinant PRV construction methodology, foreign gene insertion sites and optimization, immune responses, and applications of recombinant PRV-vectored vaccines. This study provides insights into the development of PRV recombinant vaccines and the latest research progress, offering novel perspectives for advancing preventive medicine through vaccinology.