Aedes aegypti VLG-1 challenges the assumed antiviral nature of Vago genes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) such as dengue virus (DENV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) pose a significant threat to global health. Novel approaches to control the spread of arboviruses focus on harnessing the antiviral immune system of their primary vector, the Aedes aegypti mosquito. In arthropods, genes of the Vago family are often presented as analogs of mammalian cytokines with potential antiviral functions, but the role of Vago genes upon virus infection in Ae. aegypti is largely unknown.

Results

We conducted a phylogenetic analysis of the Vago gene family in Diptera, which led us to focus on a Vago-like gene that we named VLG-1. Using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing, we generated a VLG-1 mutant line of Ae. aegypti, which revealed a broad impact of VLG-1 o

SUBMITTER: Couderc E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12302559 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature