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Estevez-Castro CF, Rodrigues MF, Babarit A, Ferreira FV, de Andrade EG, Marois E, Cogni R, Aguiar ERGR, Marques JT, Olmo RP. Neofunctionalization driven by positive selection led to the retention of the loqs2 gene encoding an Aedes specific dsRNA binding protein. BMC Biol 2024; 22:14. [PMID: 38273313 PMCID: PMC10809485 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-024-01821-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mosquito borne viruses, such as dengue, Zika, yellow fever and Chikungunya, cause millions of infections every year. These viruses are mostly transmitted by two urban-adapted mosquito species, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Although mechanistic understanding remains largely unknown, Aedes mosquitoes may have unique adaptations that lower the impact of viral infection. Recently, we reported the identification of an Aedes specific double-stranded RNA binding protein (dsRBP), named Loqs2, that is involved in the control of infection by dengue and Zika viruses in mosquitoes. Preliminary analyses suggested that the loqs2 gene is a paralog of loquacious (loqs) and r2d2, two co-factors of the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway, a major antiviral mechanism in insects. RESULTS Here we analyzed the origin and evolution of loqs2. Our data suggest that loqs2 originated from two independent duplications of the first double-stranded RNA binding domain of loqs that occurred before the origin of the Aedes Stegomyia subgenus, around 31 million years ago. We show that the loqs2 gene is evolving under relaxed purifying selection at a faster pace than loqs, with evidence of neofunctionalization driven by positive selection. Accordingly, we observed that Loqs2 is localized mainly in the nucleus, different from R2D2 and both isoforms of Loqs that are cytoplasmic. In contrast to r2d2 and loqs, loqs2 expression is stage- and tissue-specific, restricted mostly to reproductive tissues in adult Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus. Transgenic mosquitoes engineered to express loqs2 ubiquitously undergo developmental arrest at larval stages that correlates with massive dysregulation of gene expression without major effects on microRNAs or other endogenous small RNAs, classically associated with RNA interference. CONCLUSIONS Our results uncover the peculiar origin and neofunctionalization of loqs2 driven by positive selection. This study shows an example of unique adaptations in Aedes mosquitoes that could ultimately help explain their effectiveness as virus vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos F Estevez-Castro
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, Brazil
- CNRS UPR9022, Inserm U1257, Université de Strasbourg, 67084, Strasbourg, France
| | - Murillo F Rodrigues
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403-5289, USA
| | - Antinéa Babarit
- CNRS UPR9022, Inserm U1257, Université de Strasbourg, 67084, Strasbourg, France
| | - Flávia V Ferreira
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Elisa G de Andrade
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, Brazil
- CNRS UPR9022, Inserm U1257, Université de Strasbourg, 67084, Strasbourg, France
| | - Eric Marois
- CNRS UPR9022, Inserm U1257, Université de Strasbourg, 67084, Strasbourg, France
| | - Rodrigo Cogni
- Department of Ecology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-090, Brazil
| | - Eric R G R Aguiar
- Department of Biological Science, Center of Biotechnology and Genetics, State University of Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, 45662-900, Brazil
| | - João T Marques
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, Brazil.
- CNRS UPR9022, Inserm U1257, Université de Strasbourg, 67084, Strasbourg, France.
| | - Roenick P Olmo
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, Brazil.
- CNRS UPR9022, Inserm U1257, Université de Strasbourg, 67084, Strasbourg, France.
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2
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Gómez M, Martínez D, Páez-Triana L, Luna N, Ramírez A, Medina J, Cruz-Saavedra L, Hernández C, Castañeda S, Bohórquez Melo R, Suarez LA, Palma-Cuero M, Murcia LM, González Páez L, Estrada Bustos L, Medina MA, Ariza Campo K, Padilla HD, Zamora Flórez A, De las Salas JL, Muñoz M, Ramírez JD. Influence of dengue virus serotypes on the abundance of Aedes aegypti insect-specific viruses (ISVs). J Virol 2024; 98:e0150723. [PMID: 38095414 PMCID: PMC10804971 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01507-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
A comprehensive understanding of the virome in mosquito vectors is crucial for assessing the potential transmission of viral agents, designing effective vector control strategies, and advancing our knowledge of insect-specific viruses (ISVs). In this study, we utilized Oxford Nanopore Technologies metagenomics to characterize the virome of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes collected in various regions of Colombia, a country hyperendemic for dengue virus (DENV). Analyses were conducted on groups of insects with previous natural DENV infection (DENV-1 and DENV-2 serotypes), as well as mosquito samples that tested negative for virus infection (DENV-negative). Our findings indicate that the Ae. aegypti virome exhibits a similar viral composition at the ISV family and species levels in both DENV-positive and DENV-negative samples across all study sites. However, differences were observed in the relative abundance of viral families such as Phenuiviridae, Partitiviridae, Flaviviridae, Rhabdoviridae, Picornaviridae, Bromoviridae, and Virgaviridae, depending on the serotype of DENV-1 and DENV-2. In addition, ISVs are frequently found in the core virome of Ae. aegypti, such as Phasi Charoen-like phasivirus (PCLV), which was the most prevalent and showed variable abundance in relation to the presence of specific DENV serotypes. Phylogenetic analyses of the L, M, and S segments of the PCLV genome are associated with sequences from different regions of the world but show close clustering with sequences from Brazil and Guadeloupe, indicating a shared evolutionary relationship. The profiling of the Ae. aegypti virome in Colombia presented here improves our understanding of viral diversity within mosquito vectors and provides information that opens the way to possible connections between ISVs and arboviruses. Future studies aimed at deepening our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the interactions between ISVs and DENV serotypes in Ae. aegypti could provide valuable information for the design of effective vector-borne viral disease control and prevention strategies.IMPORTANCEIn this study, we employed a metagenomic approach to characterize the virome of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, with and without natural DENV infection, in several regions of Colombia. Our findings indicate that the mosquito virome is predominantly composed of insect-specific viruses (ISVs) and that infection with different DENV serotypes (DENV-1 and DENV-2) could lead to alterations in the relative abundance of viral families and species constituting the core virome in Aedes spp. The study also sheds light on the identification of the genome and evolutionary relationships of the Phasi Charoen-like phasivirus in Ae. aegypti in Colombia, a widespread ISV in areas with high DENV incidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcela Gómez
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Biotecnología-UR (CIMBIUR), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia
- Grupo de Investigación en Ciencias Básicas (NÚCLEO), Facultad de Ciencias e Ingeniería, Universidad de Boyacá, Tunja, Colombia
| | - David Martínez
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Biotecnología-UR (CIMBIUR), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia
| | - Luisa Páez-Triana
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Biotecnología-UR (CIMBIUR), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia
| | - Nicolás Luna
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Biotecnología-UR (CIMBIUR), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia
| | - Angie Ramírez
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Biotecnología-UR (CIMBIUR), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia
| | - Julián Medina
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Biotecnología-UR (CIMBIUR), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia
| | - Lissa Cruz-Saavedra
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Biotecnología-UR (CIMBIUR), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia
| | - Carolina Hernández
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Biotecnología-UR (CIMBIUR), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia
- Centro de Tecnología en Salud (CETESA), Innovaseq SAS, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Sergio Castañeda
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Biotecnología-UR (CIMBIUR), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia
| | - Ramiro Bohórquez Melo
- Grupo de Estudios en Salud Pública de la Amazonía, Laboratorio de Salud Pública de Amazonas, Leticia, Colombia
| | - Luis Alejandro Suarez
- Grupo de Estudios en Salud Pública de la Amazonía, Laboratorio de Salud Pública de Amazonas, Leticia, Colombia
| | - Mónica Palma-Cuero
- Grupo de Estudios en Salud Pública de la Amazonía, Laboratorio de Salud Pública de Amazonas, Leticia, Colombia
| | - Luz Mila Murcia
- Grupo de Estudios en Salud Pública de la Amazonía, Laboratorio de Salud Pública de Amazonas, Leticia, Colombia
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Marina Muñoz
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Biotecnología-UR (CIMBIUR), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia
| | - Juan David Ramírez
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Biotecnología-UR (CIMBIUR), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia
- Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell-Based Medicine, Molecular Microbiology Laboratory, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
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3
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Koh C, Saleh MC. Translating mosquito viromes into vector management strategies. Trends Parasitol 2024; 40:10-20. [PMID: 38065789 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2023.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Mosquitoes are best known for transmitting human and animal viruses. However, they also harbour mosquito-specific viruses (MSVs) as part of their microbiota. These are a group of viruses whose diversity and prevalence overshadow their medically relevant counterparts. Although metagenomics sequencing has remarkably accelerated the discovery of these viruses, what we know about them is often limited to sequence information, leaving much of their fundamental biology to be explored. Understanding the biology and ecology of MSVs can enlighten our knowledge of virus-virus interactions and lead to new innovations in the management of mosquito-borne viral diseases. We retrace the history of their discovery and discuss research milestones that would line the path from mosquito virome knowledge to vector management strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra Koh
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3569, Viruses and RNA Interference Unit, 75015 Paris, France.
| | - Maria-Carla Saleh
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3569, Viruses and RNA Interference Unit, 75015 Paris, France
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4
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Agboli E, Schulze J, Jansen S, Cadar D, Sreenu VB, Leggewie M, Altinli M, Badusche M, Jöst H, Börstler J, Schmidt-Chanasit J, Schnettler E. Interaction of Mesonivirus and Negevirus with arboviruses and the RNAi response in Culex tarsalis-derived cells. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:361. [PMID: 37833743 PMCID: PMC10576325 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05985-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mosquito-specific viruses (MSVs) comprise a variety of different virus families, some of which are known to interfere with infections of medically important arboviruses. Viruses belonging to the family Mesoniviridae or taxon Negevirus harbor several insect-specific viruses, including MSVs, which are known for their wide geographical distribution and extensive host ranges. Although these viruses are regularly identified in mosquitoes all over the world, their presence in mosquitoes in Germany had not yet been reported. METHODS A mix of three MSVs (Yichang virus [Mesoniviridae] and two negeviruses [Daeseongdong virus and Dezidougou virus]) in a sample that contained a pool of Coquillettidia richiardii mosquitoes collected in Germany was used to investigate the interaction of these viruses with different arboviruses in Culex-derived cells. In addition, small RNA sequencing and analysis of different mosquito-derived cells infected with this MSV mix were performed. RESULTS A strain of Yichang virus (Mesoniviridae) and two negeviruses (Daeseongdong virus and Dezidougou virus) were identified in the Cq. richiardii mosquitoes sampled in Germany, expanding current knowledge of their circulation in central Europe. Infection of mosquito-derived cells with these three viruses revealed that they are targeted by the small interfering RNA (siRNA) pathway. In Culex-derived cells, co-infection by these three viruses had varying effects on the representative arboviruses from different virus families (Togaviridae: Semliki forest virus [SFV]; Bunyavirales: Bunyamwera orthobunyavirus [BUNV]; or Flaviviridae: Usutu virus [USUV]). Specifically, persistent MSV co-infection inhibited BUNV infection, as well as USUV infection (but the latter only at specific time points). However, the impact on SFV infection was only noticeable at low multiplicity of infection (MOI 0.1) and at specific time points in combination with the infection status. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these results are important findings that will lead to a better understanding of the complex interactions of MSVs, mosquitoes and arboviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Agboli
- Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359, Hamburg, Germany
- School of Basic and Biomedical Sciences, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, PMB 31, Ho, Ghana
| | - Jonny Schulze
- Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stephanie Jansen
- Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359, Hamburg, Germany
- Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences, University of Hamburg, 20148, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Daniel Cadar
- Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Mayke Leggewie
- Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Mine Altinli
- Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marlis Badusche
- Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hanna Jöst
- Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jessica Börstler
- Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit
- Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359, Hamburg, Germany
- Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences, University of Hamburg, 20148, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Esther Schnettler
- Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359, Hamburg, Germany.
- Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences, University of Hamburg, 20148, Hamburg, Germany.
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Luebeck-Borstel-Riems, Hamburg, Germany.
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5
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Leggewie M, Scherer C, Altinli M, Gestuveo RJ, Sreenu VB, Fuss J, Vazeille M, Mousson L, Badusche M, Kohl A, Failloux AB, Schnettler E. The Aedes aegypti RNA interference response against Zika virus in the context of co-infection with dengue and chikungunya viruses. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011456. [PMID: 37440582 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Since its detection in 2015 in Brazil, Zika virus (ZIKV) has remained in the spotlight of international public health and research as an emerging arboviral pathogen. In addition to single infection, ZIKV may occur in co-infection with dengue (DENV) and chikungunya (CHIKV) viruses, with whom ZIKV shares geographic distribution and the mosquito Aedes aegypti as a vector. The main mosquito immune response against arboviruses is RNA interference (RNAi). It is unknown whether or not the dynamics of the RNAi response differ between single arboviral infections and co-infections. In this study, we investigated the interaction of ZIKV and DENV, as well as ZIKV and CHIKV co-infections with the RNAi response in Ae. aegypti. Using small RNA sequencing, we found that the efficiency of small RNA production against ZIKV -a hallmark of antiviral RNAi-was mostly similar when comparing single and co-infections with either DENV or CHIKV. Silencing of key antiviral RNAi proteins, showed no change in effect on ZIKV replication when the cell is co-infected with ZIKV and DENV or CHIKV. Interestingly, we observed a negative effect on ZIKV replication during CHIKV co-infection in the context of Ago2-knockout cells, though his effect was absent during DENV co-infection. Overall, this study provides evidence that ZIKV single or co-infections with CHIKV or DENV are equally controlled by RNAi responses. Thus, Ae. aegypti mosquitoes and derived cells support co-infections of ZIKV with either CHIKV or DENV to a similar level than single infections, as long as the RNAi response is functional.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayke Leggewie
- Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- German Center for Infection; Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg-Luebeck-Borstel-Riems, Germany
| | - Christina Scherer
- Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- German Center for Infection; Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg-Luebeck-Borstel-Riems, Germany
| | - Mine Altinli
- Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- German Center for Infection; Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg-Luebeck-Borstel-Riems, Germany
| | - Rommel J Gestuveo
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, Miagao, Iloilo, Philippines
| | - Vattipally B Sreenu
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Janina Fuss
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology (IKMB), Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Marie Vazeille
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Arboviruses and Insect Vectors, Paris, France
| | - Laurence Mousson
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Arboviruses and Insect Vectors, Paris, France
| | - Marlis Badusche
- Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Alain Kohl
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Anna-Bella Failloux
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Arboviruses and Insect Vectors, Paris, France
| | - Esther Schnettler
- Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- German Center for Infection; Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg-Luebeck-Borstel-Riems, Germany
- University Hamburg, Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences, Hamburg, Germany
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6
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Olmo RP, Todjro YMH, Aguiar ERGR, de Almeida JPP, Ferreira FV, Armache JN, de Faria IJS, Ferreira AGA, Amadou SCG, Silva ATS, de Souza KPR, Vilela APP, Babarit A, Tan CH, Diallo M, Gaye A, Paupy C, Obame-Nkoghe J, Visser TM, Koenraadt CJM, Wongsokarijo MA, Cruz ALC, Prieto MT, Parra MCP, Nogueira ML, Avelino-Silva V, Mota RN, Borges MAZ, Drumond BP, Kroon EG, Recker M, Sedda L, Marois E, Imler JL, Marques JT. Mosquito vector competence for dengue is modulated by insect-specific viruses. Nat Microbiol 2023; 8:135-149. [PMID: 36604511 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-022-01289-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Aedes aegypti and A. albopictus mosquitoes are the main vectors for dengue virus (DENV) and other arboviruses, including Zika virus (ZIKV). Understanding the factors that affect transmission of arboviruses from mosquitoes to humans is a priority because it could inform public health and targeted interventions. Reasoning that interactions among viruses in the vector insect might affect transmission, we analysed the viromes of 815 urban Aedes mosquitoes collected from 12 countries worldwide. Two mosquito-specific viruses, Phasi Charoen-like virus (PCLV) and Humaita Tubiacanga virus (HTV), were the most abundant in A. aegypti worldwide. Spatiotemporal analyses of virus circulation in an endemic urban area revealed a 200% increase in chances of having DENV in wild A. aegypti mosquitoes when both HTV and PCLV were present. Using a mouse model in the laboratory, we showed that the presence of HTV and PCLV increased the ability of mosquitoes to transmit DENV and ZIKV to a vertebrate host. By transcriptomic analysis, we found that in DENV-infected mosquitoes, HTV and PCLV block the downregulation of histone H4, which we identify as an important proviral host factor in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roenick P Olmo
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.,Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UPR9022, INSERM U1257, Strasbourg, France
| | - Yaovi M H Todjro
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Eric R G R Aguiar
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.,Department of Biological Sciences (DCB), Center of Biotechnology and Genetics (CBG), State University of Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Brazil
| | - João Paulo P de Almeida
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Flávia V Ferreira
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Juliana N Armache
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Isaque J S de Faria
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Alvaro G A Ferreira
- Mosquitos Vetores: Endossimbiontes e Interação Patógeno-Vetor, Instituto René Rachou-Fiocruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Siad C G Amadou
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Ana Teresa S Silva
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Kátia P R de Souza
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula P Vilela
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Antinea Babarit
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UPR9022, INSERM U1257, Strasbourg, France
| | - Cheong H Tan
- Environmental Health Institute, Vector Biology and Control Division, National Environment Agency, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Mawlouth Diallo
- Pôle de Zoologie Médicale, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
| | - Alioune Gaye
- Pôle de Zoologie Médicale, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
| | - Christophe Paupy
- Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs: Écologie, Génétique, Évolution et Contrôle (MIVEGEC); Université de Montpellier, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Judicaël Obame-Nkoghe
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Département de Biologie, Université des Sciences et Techniques de Masuku, Franceville, Gabon.,Écologie des Systèmes Vectoriels, Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon
| | - Tessa M Visser
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | | | | | - Ana Luiza C Cruz
- Department of Microbiology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Mariliza T Prieto
- Secretaria Municipal de Saúde, Seção de Controle de Vetores, Santos City Hall, Santos, Brazil
| | - Maisa C P Parra
- Laboratory of Research in Virology, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP), São José do Rio Preto, Brazil
| | - Maurício L Nogueira
- Laboratory of Research in Virology, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP), São José do Rio Preto, Brazil.,Departament of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Vivian Avelino-Silva
- Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP), Cerqueira Cesar, Brazil
| | - Renato N Mota
- Health Surveillance (Zoonosis Control), Brumadinho City Hall, Brumadinho, Brazil
| | - Magno A Z Borges
- Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, Montes Claros, Brazil
| | - Betânia P Drumond
- Department of Microbiology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Erna G Kroon
- Department of Microbiology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Mario Recker
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, UK.,Institute of Tropical Medicine, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Luigi Sedda
- Lancaster Medical School, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Eric Marois
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UPR9022, INSERM U1257, Strasbourg, France
| | - Jean-Luc Imler
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UPR9022, INSERM U1257, Strasbourg, France
| | - João T Marques
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. .,Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UPR9022, INSERM U1257, Strasbourg, France.
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7
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Abundance of Phasi-Charoen-like virus in Aedes aegypti mosquito populations in different states of India. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0277276. [PMID: 36490242 PMCID: PMC9733876 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mosquitoes are known to harbor a large number of insect specific viruses (ISV) in addition to viruses of public health importance. These ISVs are highly species specific and are non-pathogenic to humans or domestic animals. However, there is a potential threat of these ISVs evolving into human pathogens by genome alterations. Some ISVs are known to modulate replication of pathogenic viruses by altering the susceptibility of vector mosquitoes to pathogenic viruses, thereby either inhibiting or enhancing transmission of the latter. In the present study, we report predominance of Phasi Charoen-like virus (PCLV, Family: Phenuviridae) contributing to >60% of the total reads in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes collected from Pune district of Maharashtra state using next generation sequencing based metagenomic analysis of viromes. Similar results were also obtained with mosquitoes from Assam, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka states of India. Comparison of Pune mosquito sequences with PCLV Rio (Brazil) isolate showed 98.90%, 99.027% and 98.88% homologies in the S, M and L segments respectively indicating less genetic heterogeneity of PCLV. The study also demonstrated occurrence of transovarial transmission as seen by detection of PCLV in eggs, larvae, pupae and male mosquitoes. Ae. aegypti mosquitoes collected from Pune also showed a large number of reads for viruses belonging to Baculoviridae, Rhabdoviridae, Genomoviridae and Bunyaviridae families. The role of PCLV in the replication of dengue and chikungunya virus is yet not clear. It warrants further studies to know the significance of PCLV and other ISVs on the replication and transmission of Ae. aegypti borne pathogenic viruses, especially in the absence of prophylactics or therapeutics.
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8
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Pujhari S, Brustolin M, Heu CC, Smithwick R, Larrosa M, Hafenstein S, Rasgon JL. Characterization of Mayaro virus (strain BeAn343102) biology in vertebrate and invertebrate cellular backgrounds. J Gen Virol 2022; 103:001794. [PMID: 36215156 PMCID: PMC10019088 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mayaro virus (MAYV) is an emerging New World alphavirus (genus Alphavirus, family Togaviridae) that causes acute multiphasic febrile illness, skin rash, polyarthritis and occasional severe clinical phenotypes. The virus lifecycle alternates between invertebrate and vertebrate hosts. Here we characterize the replication features, cell entry, lifecycle and virus-related cell pathology of MAYV using vertebrate and invertebrate in vitro models. Electron-dense clathrin-coated pits in infected cells and reduced viral production in the presence of dynasore, ammonium chloride and bafilomycin indicate that viral entry occurs through pH-dependent endocytosis. Increase in FITC-dextran uptake (an indicator of macropinocytosis) in MAYV-infected cells, and dose-dependent infection inhibition by 5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl) amiloride (a macropinocytosis inhibitor), indicated that macropinocytosis is an additional entry mechanism of MAYV in vertebrate cells. Acutely infected vertebrate and invertebrate cells formed cytoplasmic or membrane-associated extracytoplasmic replication complexes. Mosquito cells showed modified hybrid cytoplasmic vesicles that supported virus replication, nucleocapsid production and maturation. Mature virus particles were released from cells by both exocytosis and budding from the cell membrane. MAYV replication was cytopathic and associated with induction of apoptosis by the intrinsic pathway, and later by the extrinsic pathway in infected vertebrate cells. Given that MAYV is expanding its geographical existence as a potential public health problem, this study lays the foundation for biological understanding that will be valuable for therapeutic and preventive interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujit Pujhari
- Department of Entomology, Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Pharmacology Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Marco Brustolin
- Department of Entomology, Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Unit of Entomology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Chan C. Heu
- Department of Entomology, Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- USDA-ARS, Maricopa, AZ, USA
| | - Ronald Smithwick
- Department of Pharmacology Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Mireia Larrosa
- Department of Entomology, Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Susan Hafenstein
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Medicine, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Jason L. Rasgon
- Department of Entomology, Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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9
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Tng PYL, Carabajal Paladino LZ, Anderson MAE, Adelman ZN, Fragkoudis R, Noad R, Alphey L. Intron-derived small RNAs for silencing viral RNAs in mosquito cells. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022; 16:e0010548. [PMID: 35737714 PMCID: PMC9258879 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus are the main vectors of mosquito-borne viruses of medical and veterinary significance. Many of these viruses have RNA genomes. Exogenously provided, e.g. transgene encoded, small RNAs could be used to inhibit virus replication, breaking the transmission cycle. We tested, in Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus cell lines, reporter-based strategies for assessing the ability of two types of small RNAs to inhibit a chikungunya virus (CHIKV) derived target. Both types of small RNAs use a Drosophila melanogaster pre-miRNA-1 based hairpin for their expression, either with perfect base-pairing in the stem region (shRNA-like) or containing two mismatches (miRNA-like). The pre-miRNA-1 stem loop structure was encoded within an intron; this allows co-expression of one or more proteins, e.g. a fluorescent protein marker tracking the temporal and spatial expression of the small RNAs in vivo. Three reporter-based systems were used to assess the relative silencing efficiency of ten shRNA-like siRNAs and corresponding miRNA-like designs. Two systems used a luciferase reporter RNA with CHIKV RNA inserted either in the coding sequence or within the 3’ UTR. A third reporter used a CHIKV derived split replication system. All three reporters demonstrated that while silencing could be achieved with both miRNA-like and shRNA-like designs, the latter were substantially more effective. Dcr-2 was required for the shRNA-like siRNAs as demonstrated by loss of inhibition of the reporters in Dcr-2 deficient cell lines. These positive results in cell culture are encouraging for the potential use of this pre-miRNA-1-based system in transgenic mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are important globally, spreading viral diseases worldwide. Chikungunya virus causes epidemics of disease in people. Here we have investigated using two types of small RNAs and pathways inherent in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to target a piece of the chikungunya virus’s genome, potentially preventing viral replication. We express these small RNAs using a pre-miRNA-1 based system, inserted into the intron within a commonly used promoter. We have used reporter systems in cell lines which can give preliminary indications of how these systems might work in mosquitoes. Our results indicate that short-hairpin-like designs are more effective than micro-RNA-like designs at knocking down expression of their targets. This knock-down requires Dcr-2 indicating that the short-hairpin-like RNAs are likely using the endo-siRNA pathway to degrade mRNA which contains their complementary RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscilla Y. L. Tng
- Arthropod Genetics Group, The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, United Kingdom
- Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Zach N. Adelman
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Rennos Fragkoudis
- Arbovirus Pathogenesis Group, The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, United Kingdom
| | - Rob Noad
- Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, United Kingdom
| | - Luke Alphey
- Arthropod Genetics Group, The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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10
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Farelo MA, Korrou-Karava D, Brooks KF, Russell TA, Maringer K, Mayerhofer PU. Dengue and Zika Virus Capsid Proteins Contain a Common PEX19-Binding Motif. Viruses 2022; 14:v14020253. [PMID: 35215846 PMCID: PMC8874546 DOI: 10.3390/v14020253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Flaviviruses such as dengue virus (DENV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to suppress the host immune system. For instance, flavivirus infections were found to sabotage peroxisomes, organelles with an important role in innate immunity. The current model suggests that the capsid (C) proteins of DENV and ZIKV downregulate peroxisomes, ultimately resulting in reduced production of interferons by interacting with the host protein PEX19, a crucial chaperone in peroxisomal biogenesis. Here, we aimed to explore the importance of peroxisomes and the role of C interaction with PEX19 in the flavivirus life cycle. By infecting cells lacking peroxisomes we show that this organelle is required for optimal DENV replication. Moreover, we demonstrate that DENV and ZIKV C bind PEX19 through a conserved PEX19-binding motif, which is also commonly found in cellular peroxisomal membrane proteins (PMPs). However, in contrast to PMPs, this interaction does not result in the targeting of C to peroxisomes. Furthermore, we show that the presence of C results in peroxisome loss due to impaired peroxisomal biogenesis, which appears to occur by a PEX19-independent mechanism. Hence, these findings challenge the current model of how flavivirus C might downregulate peroxisomal abundance and suggest a yet unknown role of peroxisomes in flavivirus biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mafalda A. Farelo
- School of Biosciences and Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK; (M.A.F.); (D.K.-K.); (K.F.B.); (T.A.R.)
| | - Despoina Korrou-Karava
- School of Biosciences and Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK; (M.A.F.); (D.K.-K.); (K.F.B.); (T.A.R.)
| | - Katrina F. Brooks
- School of Biosciences and Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK; (M.A.F.); (D.K.-K.); (K.F.B.); (T.A.R.)
| | - Tiffany A. Russell
- School of Biosciences and Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK; (M.A.F.); (D.K.-K.); (K.F.B.); (T.A.R.)
| | - Kevin Maringer
- School of Biosciences and Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK; (M.A.F.); (D.K.-K.); (K.F.B.); (T.A.R.)
- The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright GU24 0NF, UK
- Correspondence: (K.M.); (P.U.M.)
| | - Peter U. Mayerhofer
- School of Biosciences and Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK; (M.A.F.); (D.K.-K.); (K.F.B.); (T.A.R.)
- Correspondence: (K.M.); (P.U.M.)
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11
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Gestuveo RJ, Parry R, Dickson LB, Lequime S, Sreenu VB, Arnold MJ, Khromykh AA, Schnettler E, Lambrechts L, Varjak M, Kohl A. Mutational analysis of Aedes aegypti Dicer 2 provides insights into the biogenesis of antiviral exogenous small interfering RNAs. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010202. [PMID: 34990484 PMCID: PMC8769306 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The exogenous small interfering RNA (exo-siRNA) pathway is a key antiviral mechanism in the Aedes aegypti mosquito, a widely distributed vector of human-pathogenic arboviruses. This pathway is induced by virus-derived double-stranded RNAs (dsRNA) that are cleaved by the ribonuclease Dicer 2 (Dcr2) into predominantly 21 nucleotide (nt) virus-derived small interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs). These vsiRNAs are used by the effector protein Argonaute 2 within the RNA-induced silencing complex to cleave target viral RNA. Dcr2 contains several domains crucial for its activities, including helicase and RNase III domains. In Drosophila melanogaster Dcr2, the helicase domain has been associated with binding to dsRNA with blunt-ended termini and a processive siRNA production mechanism, while the platform-PAZ domains bind dsRNA with 3’ overhangs and subsequent distributive siRNA production. Here we analyzed the contributions of the helicase and RNase III domains in Ae. aegypti Dcr2 to antiviral activity and to the exo-siRNA pathway. Conserved amino acids in the helicase and RNase III domains were identified to investigate Dcr2 antiviral activity in an Ae. aegypti-derived Dcr2 knockout cell line by reporter assays and infection with mosquito-borne Semliki Forest virus (Togaviridae, Alphavirus). Functionally relevant amino acids were found to be conserved in haplotype Dcr2 sequences from field-derived Ae. aegypti across different continents. The helicase and RNase III domains were critical for silencing activity and 21 nt vsiRNA production, with RNase III domain activity alone determined to be insufficient for antiviral activity. Analysis of 21 nt vsiRNA sequences (produced by functional Dcr2) to assess the distribution and phasing along the viral genome revealed diverse yet highly consistent vsiRNA pools, with predominantly short or long sequence overlaps including 19 nt overlaps (the latter representing most likely true Dcr2 cleavage products). Combined with the importance of the Dcr2 helicase domain, this suggests that the majority of 21 nt vsiRNAs originate by processive cleavage. This study sheds new light on Ae. aegypti Dcr2 functions and properties in this important arbovirus vector species. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that transmit human-pathogenic viruses rely on the exogenous small interfering RNA (exo-siRNA) pathway as part of antiviral responses. This pathway is triggered by virus-derived double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) produced during viral replication that is then cleaved by Dicer 2 (Dcr2) into virus-derived small interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs). These vsiRNAs target viral RNA, leading to suppression of viral replication. The importance of Dcr2 in this pathway has been intensely studied in the Drosophila melanogaster model but is largely lacking in mosquitoes. Here, we have identified conserved and functionally relevant amino acids in the helicase and RNase III domains of Ae. aegypti Dcr2 that are important in its silencing activity and antiviral responses against Semliki Forest virus (SFV). Small RNA sequencing of SFV-infected mosquito cells with functional or mutated Dcr2 gave new insights into the nature and origin of vsiRNAs. The findings of this study, together with the different molecular tools we have previously developed to investigate the exo-siRNA pathway of mosquito cells, have started to uncover important properties of Dcr2 that could be valuable in understanding mosquito-arbovirus interactions and potentially in developing or assisting vector control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rommel J. Gestuveo
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, Miagao, Iloilo, Philippines
- * E-mail: (R.J.G.); (M.V.); (A.K.)
| | - Rhys Parry
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia
| | - Laura B. Dickson
- Insect-Virus Interactions Unit, Institut Pasteur, UMR2000, CNRS, Paris, France
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
- Institute for Human Infection and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Sebastian Lequime
- Insect-Virus Interactions Unit, Institut Pasteur, UMR2000, CNRS, Paris, France
- Cluster of Microbial Ecology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Matthew J. Arnold
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander A. Khromykh
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, Global Virus Network Centre of Excellence, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Esther Schnettler
- Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Luebeck-Borstel-Riems, Hamburg, Germany
- Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences, University Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Louis Lambrechts
- Insect-Virus Interactions Unit, Institut Pasteur, UMR2000, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Margus Varjak
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- * E-mail: (R.J.G.); (M.V.); (A.K.)
| | - Alain Kohl
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (R.J.G.); (M.V.); (A.K.)
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12
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Halbach R, Miesen P. Functional Analysis of Individual piRNAs in Aedes aegypti Cells and Embryos Using Antisense Oligonucleotides. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2509:3-22. [PMID: 35796954 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2380-0_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In insects, PIWI-interacting (pi)RNAs fulfill versatile regulatory functions inside and outside the germline, including posttranscriptional repression of transposable elements and regulation of gene expression. Canonically, piRNAs act-and have been studied-as a conglomerate of several thousand sequences that cooperatively silence target RNAs. Interestingly, however, an increasing number of studies have demonstrated that individual piRNAs can have profound biological activity as a unique piRNA sequence. Prime examples are the tapiR1 and 2 piRNAs, which mediate target RNA degradation in the developing embryo of Aedes mosquitoes. To study such outstanding individual piRNA species, we describe here a method to interfere with RNA target silencing using antisense oligonucleotides in cell culture as well as in mosquito pre-blastoderm embryos. Although the method has been established for Aedes mosquitoes, it can likely be adapted for use in other invertebrate species as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Halbach
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Pascal Miesen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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13
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Ayers JB, Xie X, Coatsworth H, Stephenson CJ, Waits CM, Shi PY, Dinglasan RR. Infection Kinetics and Transmissibility of a Reanimated Dengue Virus Serotype 4 Identified Originally in Wild Aedes aegypti From Florida. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:734903. [PMID: 34630357 PMCID: PMC8500192 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.734903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Dengue virus is the most prevalent mosquito-borne virus, causing approximately 390 million infections and 25,000 deaths per year. Aedes aegypti, the primary mosquito vector of dengue virus, is well-established throughout the state of Florida, United States. Autochthonous transmission of dengue virus to humans in Florida has been increasing since 2009, alongside consistent importation of dengue cases. However, most cases of first infection with dengue are asymptomatic and the virus can be maintained in mosquito populations, complicating surveillance and leading to an underestimation of disease risk. Metagenomic sequencing of A. aegypti mosquitoes in Manatee County, Florida revealed the presence of dengue virus serotype 4 (DENV-4) genomes in mosquitoes from multiple trapping sites over 2years, in the absence of a human DENV-4 index case, and even though a locally acquired case of DENV-4 has never been reported in Florida. This finding suggested that: (i) DENV-4 may circulate among humans undetected; (ii) the virus was being maintained in the mosquito population, or (iii) the detected complete genome sequence may not represent a viable virus. This study demonstrates that an infectious clone generated from the Manatee County DENV-4 (DENV-4M) sequence is capable of infecting mammalian and insect tissue culture systems, as well as adult female A. aegypti mosquitoes when fed in a blood meal. However, the virus is subject to a dose dependent infection barrier in mosquitoes, and has a kinetic delay compared to a phylogenetically related wild-type (WT) control virus from a symptomatic child, DENV-4H (strain Homo sapiens/Haiti-0075/2015, GenBank accession MK514144.1). DENV-4M disseminates from the midgut to the ovary and saliva at 14days post-infection. Viral RNA was also detectable in the adult female offspring of DENV-4M infected mosquitoes. These results demonstrate that the virus is capable of infecting vector mosquitoes, is transmissible by bite, and is vertically transmitted, indicating a mechanism for maintenance in the environment without human-mosquito transmission. These findings suggest undetected human-mosquito transmission and/or long-term maintenance of the virus in the mosquito population is occurring in Florida, and underscore the importance of proactive surveillance for viruses in mosquitoes. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACTIn order to better assess the public health risk posed by a detection of DENV-4 RNA in Manatee County, FL Aedes aegypti, we produced an infectious clone using the sequence from the wild-caught mosquitoes and characterized it via laboratory infections of mosquitoes and mosquito tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine B. Ayers
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Xuping Xie
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Heather Coatsworth
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Caroline J. Stephenson
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Christy M. Waits
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Navy Entomology Center of Excellence, Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, FL, United States
| | - Pei-Yong Shi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Rhoel R. Dinglasan
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
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14
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Joosten J, Overheul GJ, Van Rij RP, Miesen P. Endogenous piRNA-guided slicing triggers responder and trailer piRNA production from viral RNA in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:8886-8899. [PMID: 34331446 PMCID: PMC8421150 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the germline of animals, PIWI interacting (pi)RNAs protect the genome against the detrimental effects of transposon mobilization. In Drosophila, piRNA-mediated cleavage of transposon RNA triggers the production of responder piRNAs via ping-pong amplification. Responder piRNA 3' end formation by the nuclease Zucchini is coupled to the production of downstream trailer piRNAs, expanding the repertoire of transposon piRNA sequences. In Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, piRNAs are generated from viral RNA, yet, it is unknown how viral piRNA 3' ends are formed and whether viral RNA cleavage gives rise to trailer piRNA production. Here we report that in Ae. aegypti, virus- and transposon-derived piRNAs have sharp 3' ends, and are biased for downstream uridine residues, features reminiscent of Zucchini cleavage of precursor piRNAs in Drosophila. We designed a reporter system to study viral piRNA 3' end formation and found that targeting viral RNA by abundant endogenous piRNAs triggers the production of responder and trailer piRNAs. Using this reporter, we identified the Ae. aegypti orthologs of Zucchini and Nibbler, two nucleases involved in piRNA 3' end formation. Our results furthermore suggest that autonomous piRNA production from viral RNA can be triggered and expanded by an initial cleavage event guided by genome-encoded piRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joep Joosten
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, The Netherlands
| | - Gijs J Overheul
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, The Netherlands
| | - Ronald P Van Rij
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, The Netherlands
| | - Pascal Miesen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, The Netherlands
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15
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An Aedes aegypti-Derived Ago2 Knockout Cell Line to Investigate Arbovirus Infections. Viruses 2021; 13:v13061066. [PMID: 34205194 PMCID: PMC8227176 DOI: 10.3390/v13061066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Mosquitoes are known as important vectors of many arthropod-borne (arbo)viruses causing disease in humans. These include dengue (DENV) and Zika (ZIKV) viruses. The exogenous small interfering (si)RNA (exo-siRNA) pathway is believed to be the main antiviral defense in arthropods, including mosquitoes. During infection, double-stranded RNAs that form during viral replication and infection are cleaved by the enzyme Dicer 2 (Dcr2) into virus-specific 21 nt vsiRNAs, which are subsequently loaded into Argonaute 2 (Ago2). Ago2 then targets and subsequently cleaves complementary RNA sequences, resulting in degradation of the target viral RNA. Although various studies using silencing approaches have supported the antiviral activity of the exo-siRNA pathway in mosquitoes, and despite strong similarities between the siRNA pathway in the Drosophila melanogaster model and mosquitoes, important questions remain unanswered. The antiviral activity of Ago2 against different arboviruses has been previously demonstrated. However, silencing of Ago2 had no effect on ZIKV replication, whereas Dcr2 knockout enhanced its replication. These findings raise the question as to the role of Ago2 and Dcr2 in the control of arboviruses from different viral families in mosquitoes. Using a newly established Ago2 knockout cell line, alongside the previously reported Dcr2 knockout cell line, we investigated the impact these proteins have on the modulation of different arboviral infections. Infection of Ago2 knockout cell line with alpha- and bunyaviruses resulted in an increase of viral replication, but not in the case of ZIKV. Analysis of small RNA sequencing data in the Ago2 knockout cells revealed a lack of methylated siRNAs from different sources, such as acute and persistently infecting viruses-, TE- and transcriptome-derived RNAs. The results confirmed the importance of the exo-siRNA pathway in the defense against arboviruses, but highlights variability in its response to different viruses and the impact the siRNA pathway proteins have in controlling viral replication. Moreover, this established Ago2 knockout cell line can be used for functional Ago2 studies, as well as research on the interplay between the RNAi pathways.
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Analysis of Zika virus capsid-Aedes aegypti mosquito interactome reveals pro-viral host factors critical for establishing infection. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2766. [PMID: 33986255 PMCID: PMC8119459 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22966-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The escalating global prevalence of arboviral diseases emphasizes the need to improve our understanding of their biology. Research in this area has been hindered by the lack of molecular tools for studying virus-mosquito interactions. Here, we develop an Aedes aegypti cell line which stably expresses Zika virus (ZIKV) capsid proteins in order to study virus-vector protein-protein interactions through quantitative label-free proteomics. We identify 157 interactors and show that eight have potentially pro-viral activity during ZIKV infection in mosquito cells. Notably, silencing of transitional endoplasmic reticulum protein TER94 prevents ZIKV capsid degradation and significantly reduces viral replication. Similar results are observed if the TER94 ortholog (VCP) functioning is blocked with inhibitors in human cells. In addition, we show that an E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase, UBR5, mediates the interaction between TER94 and ZIKV capsid. Our study demonstrates a pro-viral function for TER94/VCP during ZIKV infection that is conserved between human and mosquito cells.
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de Almeida JP, Aguiar ER, Armache JN, Olmo RP, Marques JT. The virome of vector mosquitoes. Curr Opin Virol 2021; 49:7-12. [PMID: 33991759 DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2021.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Mosquitoes are the major vectors for arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) of medical importance. Aedes aegypti and A. albopictus are the most prolific and widespread mosquito vectors being responsible for global transmission of dengue, Zika and Chikungunya viruses. Characterizing the collection of viruses circulating in mosquitoes, the virome, has long been of special interest. In addition to arboviruses, mosquitoes carry insect-specific viruses (ISVs) that do not directly infect vertebrates. Mounting evidence indicates that ISVs interact with arboviruses and may affect mosquito vector competence. Here, we review our current knowledge about the virome of vector mosquitoes and discuss the challenges for the field that may lead to novel strategies to prevent outbreaks of arboviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Pp de Almeida
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte CEP 31270901, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Eric Rgr Aguiar
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte CEP 31270901, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Department of Biological Science (DCB), Center of Biotechnology and Genetics (CBG), State University of Santa Cruz (UESC), Rodovia Ilhéus-Itabuna km 16, Ilhéus 45652-900, Brazil
| | - Juliana N Armache
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte CEP 31270901, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Roenick P Olmo
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UPR9022, INSERM U1257, Strasbourg 67084, France
| | - João T Marques
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte CEP 31270901, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UPR9022, INSERM U1257, Strasbourg 67084, France.
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18
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Favipiravir Does Not Inhibit Chikungunya Virus Replication in Mosquito Cells and Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9050944. [PMID: 33925738 PMCID: PMC8145424 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9050944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Favipiravir (T-705) is a broad-spectrum antiviral drug that inhibits RNA viruses after intracellular conversion into its active form, T-705 ribofuranosyl 5'-triphosphate. We previously showed that T-705 is able to significantly inhibit the replication of chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an arbovirus transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, in mammalian cells and in mouse models. In contrast, the effect of T-705 on CHIKV infection and replication in the mosquito vector is unknown. Since the antiviral activity of T-705 has been shown to be cell line-dependent, we studied here its antiviral efficacy in Aedes-derived mosquito cells and in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Interestingly, T-705 was devoid of anti-CHIKV activity in mosquito cells, despite being effective against CHIKV in Vero cells. By investigating the metabolic activation profile, we showed that, unlike Vero cells, mosquito cells were not able to convert T-705 into its active form. To explore whether alternative metabolization pathways might exist in vivo, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were infected with CHIKV and administered T-705 via an artificial blood meal. Virus titrations of whole mosquitoes showed that T-705 was not able to reduce CHIKV infection in mosquitoes. Combined, these in vitro and in vivo data indicate that T-705 lacks antiviral activity in mosquitoes due to inadequate metabolic activation in this animal species.
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Ma Q, Srivastav SP, Gamez S, Dayama G, Feitosa-Suntheimer F, Patterson EI, Johnson RM, Matson EM, Gold AS, Brackney DE, Connor JH, Colpitts TM, Hughes GL, Rasgon JL, Nolan T, Akbari OS, Lau NC. A mosquito small RNA genomics resource reveals dynamic evolution and host responses to viruses and transposons. Genome Res 2021; 31:512-528. [PMID: 33419731 PMCID: PMC7919454 DOI: 10.1101/gr.265157.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Although mosquitoes are major transmission vectors for pathogenic arboviruses, viral infection has little impact on mosquito health. This immunity is caused in part by mosquito RNA interference (RNAi) pathways that generate antiviral small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs). RNAi also maintains genome integrity by potently repressing mosquito transposon activity in the germline and soma. However, viral and transposon small RNA regulatory pathways have not been systematically examined together in mosquitoes. Therefore, we developed an integrated mosquito small RNA genomics (MSRG) resource that analyzes the transposon and virus small RNA profiles in mosquito cell cultures and somatic and gonadal tissues across four medically important mosquito species. Our resource captures both somatic and gonadal small RNA expression profiles within mosquito cell cultures, and we report the evolutionary dynamics of a novel Mosquito-Conserved piRNA Cluster Locus (MCpiRCL) made up of satellite DNA repeats. In the larger culicine mosquito genomes we detected highly regular periodicity in piRNA biogenesis patterns coinciding with the expansion of Piwi pathway genes. Finally, our resource enables detection of cross talk between piRNA and siRNA populations in mosquito cells during a response to virus infection. The MSRG resource will aid efforts to dissect and combat the capacity of mosquitoes to tolerate and spread arboviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qicheng Ma
- Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA
| | - Satyam P Srivastav
- Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA
| | - Stephanie Gamez
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Gargi Dayama
- Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA
| | - Fabiana Feitosa-Suntheimer
- Department of Microbiology and the National Emerging Infectious Disease Laboratory, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA
| | - Edward I Patterson
- Departments of Vector Biology and Tropical Disease Biology, Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca M Johnson
- Department of Entomology, Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, and the Huck Institutes for the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Erik M Matson
- Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA
| | - Alexander S Gold
- Department of Microbiology and the National Emerging Infectious Disease Laboratory, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA
| | - Douglas E Brackney
- Department of Environmental Sciences, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA
| | - John H Connor
- Department of Microbiology and the National Emerging Infectious Disease Laboratory, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA
| | - Tonya M Colpitts
- Department of Microbiology and the National Emerging Infectious Disease Laboratory, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA
| | - Grant L Hughes
- Departments of Vector Biology and Tropical Disease Biology, Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, United Kingdom
| | - Jason L Rasgon
- Department of Entomology, Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, and the Huck Institutes for the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Tony Nolan
- Departments of Vector Biology and Tropical Disease Biology, Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, United Kingdom
| | - Omar S Akbari
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Nelson C Lau
- Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA
- Boston University Genome Science Institute and the National Emerging Infectious Disease Laboratory, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA
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Hameed M, Wahaab A, Shan T, Wang X, Khan S, Di D, Xiqian L, Zhang JJ, Anwar MN, Nawaz M, Li B, Liu K, Shao D, Qiu Y, Wei J, Ma Z. A Metagenomic Analysis of Mosquito Virome Collected From Different Animal Farms at Yunnan-Myanmar Border of China. Front Microbiol 2021; 11:591478. [PMID: 33628201 PMCID: PMC7898981 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.591478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Metagenomic analysis of mosquito-borne and mosquito-specific viruses is useful to understand the viral diversity and for the surveillance of pathogens of medical and veterinary importance. Yunnan province is located at the southwest of China and has rich abundance of mosquitoes. Arbovirus surveillance is not conducted regularly in this province particularly at animal farms, which have public health as well as veterinary importance. Here, we have analyzed 10 pools of mosquitoes belonging to Culex tritaeniorhyncus, Aedes aegypti, Anopheles sinensis, and Armigeres subalbatus species, collected from different animal farms located at Yunnan province of China by using metagenomic next-generation sequencing technique. The generated viral metagenomic data reveal that the viral community matched by the reads was highly diverse and varied in abundance among animal farms, which contained more than 19 viral taxonomic families, specific to vertebrates, invertebrates, fungi, plants, protozoa, and bacteria. Additionally, a large number of viral reads were related to viruses that are non-classified. The viral reads related to animal viruses included parvoviruses, anelloviruses, circoviruses, flaviviruses, rhabdoviruses, and seadornaviruses, which might be taken by mosquitoes from viremic animal hosts during blood feeding. Notably, the presence of viral reads matched with Japanese encephalitis virus, Getah virus, and porcine parvoviruses in mosquitoes collected from different geographic sites suggested a potential circulation of these viruses in their vertebrate hosts. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive knowledge of diverse viral populations present at animal farms of Yunnan province of China, which might be a potential source of diseases for humans and domestic animals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Jianchao Wei
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhiyong Ma
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
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21
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Russell TA, Ayaz A, Davidson AD, Fernandez-Sesma A, Maringer K. Imd pathway-specific immune assays reveal NF-κB stimulation by viral RNA PAMPs in Aedes aegypti Aag2 cells. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0008524. [PMID: 33591970 PMCID: PMC7909628 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The mosquito Aedes aegypti is a major vector for the arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) chikungunya, dengue, yellow fever and Zika viruses. Vector immune responses pose a major barrier to arboviral transmission, and transgenic insects with altered immunity have been proposed as tools for reducing the global public health impact of arboviral diseases. However, a better understanding of virus-immune interactions is needed to progress the development of such transgenic insects. Although the NF-κB-regulated Toll and 'immunodeficiency' (Imd) pathways are increasingly thought to be antiviral, relevant pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) remain poorly characterised in A. aegypti. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPLE FINDINGS We developed novel RT-qPCR and luciferase reporter assays to measure induction of the Toll and Imd pathways in the commonly used A. aegypti-derived Aag2 cell line. We thus determined that the Toll pathway is not inducible by exogenous stimulation with bacterial, viral or fungal stimuli in Aag2 cells under our experimental conditions. We used our Imd pathway-specific assays to demonstrate that the viral dsRNA mimic poly(I:C) is sensed by the Imd pathway, likely through intracellular and extracellular PRRs. The Imd pathway was also induced during infection with the model insect-specific virus cricket paralysis virus (CrPV). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Our demonstration that a general PAMP shared by many arboviruses is sensed by the Imd pathway paves the way for future studies to determine how viral RNA is sensed by mosquito PRRs at a molecular level. Our data also suggest that studies measuring inducible immune pathway activation through antimicrobial peptide (AMP) expression in Aag2 cells should be interpreted cautiously given that the Toll pathway is not responsive under all experimental conditions. With no antiviral therapies and few effective vaccines available to treat arboviral diseases, our findings provide new insights relevant to the development of transgenic mosquitoes as a means of reducing arbovirus transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany A. Russell
- Department of Microbial Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
| | - Andalus Ayaz
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Andrew D. Davidson
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Ana Fernandez-Sesma
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Kevin Maringer
- Department of Microbial Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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A selectable, plasmid-based system to generate CRISPR/Cas9 gene edited and knock-in mosquito cell lines. Sci Rep 2021; 11:736. [PMID: 33436886 PMCID: PMC7804293 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80436-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 12/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Aedes (Ae.) aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes transmit arthropod-borne diseases around the globe, causing ~ 700,000 deaths each year. Genetic mutants are valuable tools to interrogate both fundamental vector biology and mosquito host factors important for viral infection. However, very few genetic mutants have been described in mosquitoes in comparison to model organisms. The relative ease of applying CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing has transformed genome engineering and has rapidly increased the number of available gene mutants in mosquitoes. Yet, in vivo studies may not be practical for screening large sets of mutants or possible for laboratories that lack insectaries. Thus, it would be useful to adapt CRISPR/Cas9 systems to common mosquito cell lines. In this study, we generated and characterized a mosquito optimized, plasmid-based CRISPR/Cas9 system for use in U4.4 (Ae. albopictus) and Aag2 (Ae. aegypti) cell lines. We demonstrated highly efficient editing of the AGO1 locus and isolated U4.4 and Aag2 cell lines with reduced AGO1 expression. Further, we used homology-directed repair to establish knock-in Aag2 cell lines with a 3xFLAG-tag at the N-terminus of endogenous AGO1. These experimentally verified plasmids are versatile, cost-effective, and efficiently edit immune competent mosquito cell lines that are widely used in arbovirus studies.
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Amoa-Bosompem M, Kobayashi D, Itokawa K, Faizah AN, Kuwata R, Dadzie S, Hayashi T, Yamaoka S, Sawabe K, Iwanaga S, Isawa H. Establishment and characterization of a cell line from Ghanaian Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) focusing on Aedes-borne flavivirus susceptibility. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Anim 2020; 56:792-798. [PMID: 33000384 DOI: 10.1007/s11626-020-00504-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Mosquitoes are generally considered one of the most important vectors of arboviruses, with Aedes aegypti regarded as the most important in transmission of yellow fever and dengue viruses. To investigate why there are differences in the incidence of dengue fever and Zika in different geographical areas and an absence of outbreaks in Ghana in spite of an abundance of A. aegypti mosquitoes, we established a continuous cell line from embryonic cells of A. aegypti collected in Ghana and assessed its susceptibility to dengue, yellow fever, and Zika viruses. The new cell line (designated AeAe-GH98), having an adhesive spindle-shaped web-like morphology, was serially subcultured in both VP-12 and Schneider's medium supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum. AeAe-GH98 cells were found to have a population doubling time of 1.3 d during exponential growth. The mosquito colony used to establish the cell line was confirmed to have originated from Africa using microsatellite assay. In terms of susceptibility to Aedes-borne flaviviruses, AeAe-GH98 cells were found to have different degrees of susceptibility to yellow fever, Zika, and dengue virus infection and propagation. While susceptibility of AeAe-GH98 cells to yellow fever and Zika viruses was comparable with that of C6/36 cells, susceptibility to dengue virus was significantly lower. This cell line will serve as a useful tool for determining molecular factors influencing virus-vector susceptibility in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Amoa-Bosompem
- Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8640, Japan.,Department of Environmental Parasitology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-850, Japan.,Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, College of Health Sciences, P.O.Box LG581, Legon, Accra, Ghana
| | - Daisuke Kobayashi
- Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8640, Japan
| | - Kentaro Itokawa
- Pathogen Genomics Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8640, Japan
| | - Astri Nur Faizah
- Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8640, Japan.,Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Science, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Ryusei Kuwata
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Okayama University of Science, 1-3 Ikoinooka, Imabari, Ehime, Japan
| | - Samuel Dadzie
- Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, College of Health Sciences, P.O.Box LG581, Legon, Accra, Ghana
| | - Takaya Hayashi
- Department of Molecular Virology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-850, Japan
| | - Shoji Yamaoka
- Department of Molecular Virology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-850, Japan
| | - Kyoko Sawabe
- Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8640, Japan
| | - Shiroh Iwanaga
- Department of Environmental Parasitology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-850, Japan
| | - Haruhiko Isawa
- Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8640, Japan.
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Stability of the Virome in Lab- and Field-Collected Aedes albopictus Mosquitoes across Different Developmental Stages and Possible Core Viruses in the Publicly Available Virome Data of Aedes Mosquitoes. mSystems 2020; 5:5/5/e00640-20. [PMID: 32994288 PMCID: PMC7527137 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00640-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Aedes mosquitoes can efficiently transmit many pathogenic arboviruses, placing a great burden on public health worldwide. In addition, they also carry a number of insect-specific viruses (ISVs), and it was recently suggested that some of these ISVs might form a stable species-specific "core virome" in mosquito populations. However, little is known about such a core virome in laboratory colonies and if it is present across different developmental stages. In this study, we compared the viromes in eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes collected from a lab colony and compared each to the virome of different developmental stages collected in the field. The virome in lab-derived A. albopictus was very stable across all stages, consistent with a vertical transmission route of these viruses, and formed a possible "vertically transmitted core virome." The different stages of field-collected A. albopictus mosquitoes also contained this stable vertically transmitted core virome, as well as another set of viruses (e.g., viruses distantly related to Guadeloupe mosquito virus, Hubei virga-like virus 2, and Sarawak virus) shared by mosquitoes across different stages, which might represent an "environment-derived core virome." To further study this core set of ISVs, we screened 48 publicly available SRA viral metagenomic data sets of mosquitoes belonging to the genus Aedes, showing that some of the identified ISVs were identified in the majority of SRAs and providing further evidence supporting the core-virome concept.IMPORTANCE Our study revealed that the virome was very stable across all developmental stages of both lab-derived and field-collected Aedes albopictus The data representing the core virome in lab A. albopictus proved the vertical transmission route of these viruses, forming a "vertically transmitted core virome." Field mosquitoes also contained this stable vertically transmitted core virome as well as additional viruses, which probably represented "environment-derived core virome" and which therefore were less stable over time and geography. By further screening publicly available SRA viral metagenomic data sets from mosquitoes belonging to the genus Aedes, some of the identified core ISVs were shown to be present in the majority of SRAs, such as Phasi Charoen-like phasivirus and Guadeloupe mosquito virus. How these core ISVs influence the biology of the mosquito host and arbovirus infection and evolution deserves to be further explored.
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MacLeod HJ, Dimopoulos G. Detailed Analyses of Zika Virus Tropism in Culex quinquefasciatus Reveal Systemic Refractoriness. mBio 2020; 11:e01765-20. [PMID: 32817107 PMCID: PMC7439479 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01765-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of Culex quinquefasciatus in Zika virus transmission has been debated since the epidemic of Zika occurred in the Americas in 2015 to 2016. The majority of studies have found no evidence that C. quinquefasciatus or other Culex species are competent vectors of Zika virus, and the few studies that have proposed Zika vector status for C. quinquefasciatus have relied predominantly on quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) for viral detection. We assessed the infectious range of pre- and post-epidemic Zika virus isolates in order to classify mosquito samples based on titer infectiousness and demonstrated that two strains of C. quinquefasciatus, including one previously found to be competent, are highly resistant to infection with these Zika isolates compared to Aedes aegypti and are not competent for virus transmission. Further dissection of the dynamics of Zika exposure in both A. aegypti and C. quinquefasciatus revealed that while virus transmission by C. quinquefasciatus is blocked at the levels of the midgut and salivary glands, viral RNA persists in these tissues for prolonged periods post-exposure. We assessed Zika entry dynamics in both Aedes and Culex cells, and our results suggest that Zika virus infection in Culex cells may be blocked downstream of cell entry. These findings strongly suggest that C. quinquefasciatus is not a vector of Zika virus and additionally inform the use of qRT-PCR in vector competence assays as well as our understanding of barriers to arbovirus infection in non-susceptible mosquito species.IMPORTANCE Understanding which mosquito species transmit an emerging arbovirus is critical to effective vector control. During the Zika virus epidemic in 2015 to 2016, Aedes mosquitoes were confirmed as vectors. However, studies addressing the vector status of Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes presented conflicting evidence and remain an outstanding source of confusion in the field. Here, we established a robust cell-based assay to identify infectious titers of Zika virus and assessed the virus titers in C. quinquefasciatus by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). We found that while low levels of virus were detected in C. quinquefasciatus, these titers did not correspond to infectious virus, and these mosquitoes did not transmit virus in the saliva. We also present evidence that the virus may enter Culex cells before infection is disrupted. Our findings are important for future studies incriminating vector species using qRT-PCR for virus detection and offer new information on how virus transmission is blocked by mosquitoes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah J MacLeod
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - George Dimopoulos
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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26
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Tng PYL, Carabajal Paladino L, Verkuijl SAN, Purcell J, Merits A, Leftwich PT, Fragkoudis R, Noad R, Alphey L. Cas13b-dependent and Cas13b-independent RNA knockdown of viral sequences in mosquito cells following guide RNA expression. Commun Biol 2020; 3:413. [PMID: 32737398 PMCID: PMC7395101 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01142-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes are vectors of the RNA viruses chikungunya (CHIKV) and dengue that currently have no specific therapeutic treatments. The development of new methods to generate virus-refractory mosquitoes would be beneficial. Cas13b is an enzyme that uses RNA guides to target and cleave RNA molecules and has been reported to suppress RNA viruses in mammalian and plant cells. We investigated the potential use of the Prevotella sp. P5-125 Cas13b system to provide viral refractoriness in mosquito cells, using a virus-derived reporter and a CHIKV split replication system. Cas13b in combination with suitable guide RNAs could induce strong suppression of virus-derived reporter RNAs in insect cells. Surprisingly, the RNA guides alone (without Cas13b) also gave substantial suppression. Our study provides support for the potential use of Cas13b in mosquitoes, but also caution in interpreting CRISPR/Cas data as we show that guide RNAs can have Cas-independent effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscilla Ying Lei Tng
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, GU24 0NF, UK
- Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, Hertfordshire, AL9 7TA, UK
| | | | - Sebald Alexander Nkosana Verkuijl
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, GU24 0NF, UK
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Jessica Purcell
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, GU24 0NF, UK
- Vector Biology Department, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, L3 5QA, UK
| | - Andres Merits
- Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, Nooruse 1, Tartu, 50411, Estonia
| | - Philip Thomas Leftwich
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, GU24 0NF, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Rennos Fragkoudis
- Arbovirus Pathogenesis, The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, GU24 0NF, UK
- The University of Nottingham, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Sutton Bonington, Loughborough, LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Rob Noad
- Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, Hertfordshire, AL9 7TA, UK
| | - Luke Alphey
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, GU24 0NF, UK.
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27
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A Metagenomic Approach Identified a Novel Phasi Charoen-Like Virus Coinfecting a Chikungunya Virus-Infected Aedes aegypti Mosquito in Brazil. Microbiol Resour Announc 2020; 9:9/31/e01572-19. [PMID: 32732240 PMCID: PMC7393969 DOI: 10.1128/mra.01572-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Insect-specific viruses do not replicate in vertebrates. Here, we report the genome sequence of a novel strain of a Phasi Charoen-like virus (PCLV) that was isolated from a wild Aedes aegypti mosquito collected in Aracajú, Sergipe State, Brazil. The coding-complete genome of the PCLV is described in this report.
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28
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aBravo Is a Novel Aedes aegypti Antiviral Protein that Interacts with, but Acts Independently of, the Exogenous siRNA Pathway Effector Dicer 2. Viruses 2020; 12:v12070748. [PMID: 32664591 PMCID: PMC7411624 DOI: 10.3390/v12070748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mosquitoes, such as Aedes aegypti, can transmit arboviruses to humans. The exogenous short interfering RNA (exo-siRNA) pathway plays a major antiviral role in controlling virus infection in mosquito cells. The Dicer 2 (Dcr2) nuclease is a key effector protein in this pathway, which cleaves viral double-stranded RNA into virus-derived siRNAs that are further loaded onto an effector called Argonaute 2 (Ago2), which as part of the multiprotein RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) targets and cleaves viral RNA. In order to better understand the effector protein Dcr2, proteomics experiments were conducted to identify interacting cellular partners. We identified several known interacting partners including Ago2, as well as two novel and previously uncharacterized Ae. aegypti proteins. The role of these two proteins was further investigated, and their interactions with Dcr2 verified by co-immunoprecipitation. Interestingly, despite their ability to interact with Ago2 and Piwi4, neither of these proteins was found to affect exo-siRNA silencing in a reporter assay. However, one of these proteins, Q0IFK9, subsequently called aBravo (aedine broadly active antiviral protein), was found to mediate antiviral activity against positive strand RNA arboviruses. Intriguingly the presence of Dcr2 was not necessary for this effect, suggesting that this interacting antiviral effector may act as part of protein complexes with potentially separate antiviral activities.
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Patterson EI, Villinger J, Muthoni JN, Dobel-Ober L, Hughes GL. Exploiting insect-specific viruses as a novel strategy to control vector-borne disease. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2020; 39:50-56. [PMID: 32278312 PMCID: PMC7302987 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2020.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Revised: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Novel insect-specific viruses (ISVs) are being discovered in many important vectors due to advances in sequencing technology and a growing awareness of the virome. Several in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that ISVs are capable of modulating pathogenic arboviruses. In addition, there is growing evidence that both vertical and horizonal transmission strategies maintain ISVs in vector populations. As such there is potential to exploit ISVs for stand-alone vector control strategies and deploying them in synergy with other symbiont control approaches such as Wolbachia-mediated control. However, before the applied potential can be realized, a greater understanding of their basic biology is required, including their species range, ability to be maintained and transmitted in native and non-native vector hosts, and the effect of infection on a range of pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward I Patterson
- Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases, Departments of Vector Biology and Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK.
| | - Jandouwe Villinger
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Joseph N Muthoni
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Lucien Dobel-Ober
- Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases, Departments of Vector Biology and Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK
| | - Grant L Hughes
- Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases, Departments of Vector Biology and Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK
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Ramos-Nino ME, Fitzpatrick DM, Tighe S, Eckstrom KM, Hattaway LM, Hsueh AN, Stone DM, Dragon J, Cheetham S. High prevalence of Phasi Charoen-like virus from wild-caught Aedes aegypti in Grenada, W.I. as revealed by metagenomic analysis. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0227998. [PMID: 32004323 PMCID: PMC6993974 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Arboviruses cause diseases of significant global health concerns. Interactions between mosquitoes and their microbiota as well as the important role of this interaction in the mosquito's capacity to harbor and transmit pathogens have emerged as important fields of research. Aedes aegypti is one of the most abundant mosquitoes in many geographic locations, a vector capable of transmitting a number of arboviruses such as dengue and Zika. Currently, there are few studies on the metavirome of this mosquito particularly in the Americas. This study analyzes the metavirome of A. aegypti from Grenada, a Caribbean nation with tropical weather, abundant A. aegypti, and both endemic and arboviral pathogens transmitted by this mosquito. Between January and December 2018, 1152 mosquitoes were collected from six semi-rural locations near houses in St. George Parish, Grenada, by weekly trapping using BG-Sentinel traps. From these, 300 A. aegypti were selected for analysis. The metavirome was analyzed using the Illumina HiSeq 1500 for deep sequencing. The generation sequencing library construction protocol used was NuGEN Universal RNA with an average read length of 125 bp. Reads were mapped to the A. aegypti assembly. Non-mosquito reads were analyzed using the tools FastViromeExplorer. The NCBI total virus, RNA virus, and eukaryotic virus databases were used as references. The metagenomic comparison analysis showed that the most abundant virus-related reads among all databases and assemblies was Phasi Charoen-like virus. The Phasi Charoen-like virus results are in agreement to other studies in America, Asia and Australia. Further studies using wild-caught mosquitoes is needed to assess the impact of this insect-specific virus on the A. aegypti lifecycle and vector capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria E. Ramos-Nino
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, St. George’s University, St. George's, Grenada, West Indies
| | - Daniel M. Fitzpatrick
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, St. George's, Grenada, West Indies
| | - Scott Tighe
- University of Vermont Massively Parallel Sequencing Facility, Burlington, Vermont, United States of America
| | - Korin M. Eckstrom
- University of Vermont Massively Parallel Sequencing Facility, Burlington, Vermont, United States of America
| | - Lindsey M. Hattaway
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, St. George's, Grenada, West Indies
| | - Andy N. Hsueh
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, St. George's, Grenada, West Indies
| | - Diana M. Stone
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, St. George's, Grenada, West Indies
| | - Julie Dragon
- University of Vermont Massively Parallel Sequencing Facility, Burlington, Vermont, United States of America
| | - Sonia Cheetham
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, St. George's, Grenada, West Indies
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