Mutations in the E2 Glycoprotein and the 3' Untranslated Region Enhance Chikungunya Virus Virulence in Mice.

ABSTRACT: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus that causes debilitating musculoskeletal pain and inflammation and can persist for months to years after acute infection. Although studies of humans and experimentally infected animals suggest that CHIKV infection persists in musculoskeletal tissues, the mechanisms for this remain poorly understood. To evaluate this further, we isolated CHIKV from the serum of persistently infected Rag1 ^-/- mice at day 28. When inoculated into naive wild-type (WT) mice, this persistently circulating CHIKV strain displayed a capacity for earlier dissemination and greater pathogenicity than the parental virus. Sequence analysis revealed a nonsynonymous mutation in the E2 glycoprotein (E2 K200R) and a deletion within the 3' untra

SUBMITTER: Hawman DW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5625495 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature