Specificity of resistance to dengue virus isolates is associated with genotypes of the mosquito antiviral gene Dicer-2.

ABSTRACT: In contrast to the prevailing view that invertebrate immunity relies on broad-spectrum recognition and effector mechanisms, intrinsic genetic compatibility between invertebrate hosts and their pathogens is often highly specific in nature. Solving this puzzle requires a better understanding of the molecular basis underlying observed patterns of invertebrate host-pathogen genetic specificity, broadly referred to as genotype-by-genotype interactions. Here, we identify an invertebrate immune gene in which natural polymorphism is associated with isolate-specific resistance to an RNA virus. Dicer-2 (dcr2) encodes a key protein upstream of the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway, a major antiviral component of innate immunity in invertebrates. We surveyed allelic polymorphism at the dcr2 locus in a w

SUBMITTER: Lambrechts L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3574411 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature