Trans-complementation of chikungunya virus replicase mutants reveals alphavirus replication complexity and supports antiviral tool development.

ABSTRACT: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a reemerging alphavirus responsible for large-scale outbreaks in tropical regions. Its RNA replication depends on the assembly of functional replication complexes using the P123 and P1234 polyprotein precursors and their cleavage products, the nonstructural proteins (nsP1-nsP4). To dissect this process, we developed a trans-complementation assay using either plasmid-based expression or tetracycline-inducible stable cell lines expressing individual nsPs to rescue the activities of defective replicases. CHIKV nsP1, as well as nsP1 from closely related alphaviruses such as Ross River virus, successfully complemented CHIKV replicases carrying RNA capping-deficient mutations in nsP1. However, no complementation was observed for a replicase with an nsP1 mutation that

SUBMITTER: Wang S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12768418 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature