Polygenic viral factors enable efficient mosquito-borne transmission of African Zika virus.

ABSTRACT: Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus primarily transmitted among humans by Aedes aegypti. Over the past two decades, it has caused significant outbreaks associated with birth defects and neurological disorders. Phylogenetically, ZIKV consists of two main genotypes referred to as the African and Asian lineages, each exhibiting distinct biological properties. African lineage strains are transmitted more efficiently by mosquitoes, but pinpointing the genetic basis of this difference has remained challenging. Here, we address this question by comparing recent African and Asian strains using chimeric viruses, in which segments of the parental genomes are swapped. Our results show that the structural genes from the African strain enhance viral internalization, while the non-st

SUBMITTER: Torii S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11785240 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature