Sindbis virus is suppressed in the yellow fever mosquito <i>Aedes aegypti</i> by Atg6/BECN1 (autophagy-related 6)-mediated activation of autophagy.

ABSTRACT: Macroautophagy/autophagy is a critical modulator of pathogen invasion response in vertebrates and invertebrates. However, how it affects mosquito-borne viral pathogens that significantly burden public health remains relatively underexplored. To address this gap, we use a genetic approach to activate autophagy in the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) infected with a recombinant Sindbis virus (SINV) expressing an autophagy activator. We first demonstrate a 17-amino acid peptide ("AaBec-1") derived from the Ae. aegypti Atg6/BECN1 (Autophagy-related 6) gene is sufficient to induce autophagy in C6/36 mosquito cells, as marked by lipidation of Atg8 and puncta formation. Next, we engineered a recombinant SINV expressing the AaBec-1 peptide and used it to infect and induce autoph

SUBMITTER: Pujhari S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12758363 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature