Synthetic recovery of Yada Yada virus expands insect-specific alphavirus knowledge and facilitates production of chimeric viruses.

ABSTRACT: Few insect-specific alphaviruses (ISA) have been discovered, with even fewer culturable to facilitate full characterisation. Here, we report the recovery of an infectious clone of Yada Yada virus (YYV)-a virus previously only detected by metagenomic sequencing of mosquito homogenates. Using the infectious clone, we confirmed the inability of YYV to replicate in vertebrate cells in vitro, with replication limited to only Aedes mosquito-derived cell lines. We further produced and characterised the first monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to ISAs. Through successful replacement of the structural proteins of YYV with those of other ISAs, Eilat virus, Agua Salud (ASALV), Taï Forest (TALV) and Mwinilunga alphaviruses (MWAV), we established that a replication block for in vitro culture of TALV and MWAV

SUBMITTER: Bell MG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11721364 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature