Rhabdoviral Endogenous Sequences Identified in the Leishmaniasis Vector Lutzomyia longipalpis Are Widespread in Sandflies from South America.

ABSTRACT: Sandflies are known vectors of leishmaniasis. In the Old World, sandflies are also vectors of viruses while little is known about the capacity of New World insects to transmit viruses to humans. Here, we relate the identification of RNA sequences with homology to rhabdovirus nucleocapsids (NcPs) genes, initially in the Lutzomyia longipalpis LL5 cell lineage, named NcP1.1 and NcP2. The Rhabdoviridae family never retrotranscribes its RNA genome to DNA. The sequences here described were identified in cDNA and DNA from LL-5 cells and in adult insects indicating that they are transcribed endogenous viral elements (EVEs). The presence of NcP1.1 and NcP2 in the L. longipalpis genome was confirmed in silico. In addition to showing the genomic location of NcP1.1 and NcP2, we identifie

SUBMITTER: Tempone AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10974309 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature