Insect-Specific Chimeric Viruses Potentiated Antiviral Responses and Inhibited Pathogenic Alphavirus Growth in Mosquito Cells.

ABSTRACT: Most alphaviruses are transmitted by mosquito vectors and infect a wide range of vertebrate hosts, with a few exceptions. Eilat virus (EILV) in this genus is characterized by a host range restricted to mosquitoes. Its chimeric viruses have been developed as safe and effective vaccine candidates and diagnostic tools. Here, we investigated the interactions between these insect-specific viruses (ISVs) and mosquito cells, unveiling their potential roles in determining vector competence and arbovirus transmission. By RNA sequencing, we found that these ISVs profoundly modified host cell gene expression profiles. Two EILV-based chimeras, consisting of EILV's nonstructural genes and the structural genes of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) or Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), namely, EILV/CHIK

SUBMITTER: Tan L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9927327 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature