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Pujhari S, Heu CC, Brustolin M, Johnson RM, Kim D, Rasgon JL. Sindbis virus is suppressed in the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti by ATG-6/Beclin-1 mediated activation of autophagy. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.02.526867. [PMID: 36778292 PMCID: PMC9915692 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.02.526867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
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 underexplored. To address this gap, we use a genetic approach to activate macroautophagy/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 derived from the Ae. aegypti autophagy-related protein 6 (ATG-6/beclin-1-like protein) is sufficient to induce autophagy in C6/36 mosquito cells, as marked by lipidation of ATG-8 and puncta formation. Next, we engineered a recombinant SINV expressing this bioactive beclin-1-like peptide and used it to infect and induce autophagy in adult mosquitoes. We find that modulation of autophagy using this recombinant SINV negatively regulated production of infectious viruses. The results from this study improve our understanding of the role of autophagy in arboviruses in invertebrate hosts and also highlight the potential for the autophagy pathway to be exploited for arboviral control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujit Pujhari
- Department of Entomology, the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
| | - Chan C. Heu
- Department of Entomology, the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- USDA-ARS, Maricopa, AZ, USA
| | - Marco Brustolin
- Department of Entomology, the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Unit of Entomology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Rebecca M. Johnson
- Department of Entomology, the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT
| | - Donghun Kim
- Department of Entomology, the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Department of Vector Entomology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Jason L. Rasgon
- Department of Entomology, the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
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Ahearn YP, Saredy JJ, Bowers DF. The Alphavirus Sindbis Infects Enteroendocrine Cells in the Midgut of Aedes aegypti. Viruses 2020; 12:v12080848. [PMID: 32759668 PMCID: PMC7472040 DOI: 10.3390/v12080848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Transit of the arthropod-borne-virus (arbovirus) Sindbis (SINV) throughout adult female mosquitoes initiates with its attachment to the gut lumen, entry and amplification in midgut cells, followed by dissemination into the hemolymph. Free-mated adult females, aged day 5–7, were proffered a viremic blood suspension via sausage casings containing SINV-TaV-Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) at a final titer of 106 PFU/mL. Midguts (MGs) from fully engorged mosquitoes were resected on days 5 and 7 post-bloodmeal, and immunolabeled using FMRFamide antibody against enteroendocrine cells (ECs) with a TX-Red secondary antibody. Following immunolabeling, the organs were investigated via laser confocal microscopy to identify the distribution of GFP and TX-Red. Infection using this reporter virus was observed as multiple GFP expression foci along the posterior midgut (PMG) epithelium and ECs were observed as TX-Red labeled cells scattered along the entire length of the MG. Our results demonstrated that SINVGFP did infect ECs, as indicated by the overlapping GFP and TX-Red channels shown as yellow in merged images. We propose that ECs may be involved in the SINV infection pathway in the mosquito MG. Due to the unique role that ECs have in the exocytosis of secretory granules from the MG and the apical-basolateral position of ECs in the PMG monolayer, we speculate that these cells may assist as a mechanism for arboviruses to cross the gut barriers. These findings suggest that MG ECs are involved in arbovirus infection of the invertebrate host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yani P. Ahearn
- Department of Health, TB Lab, 1217 N Pearl St., Jacksonville, FL 32202, USA;
| | - Jason J. Saredy
- Department of Biology, Temple University, 1900 N 12th St., Philadelphia, PA 19122-6078, USA;
| | - Doria F. Bowers
- Department of Biology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-904-620-1955; Fax: +1-904-620-3885
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Miesen P, Girardi E, van Rij RP. Distinct sets of PIWI proteins produce arbovirus and transposon-derived piRNAs in Aedes aegypti mosquito cells. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 43:6545-56. [PMID: 26068474 PMCID: PMC4513867 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2015] [Accepted: 05/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway is essential for transposon silencing in many model organisms. Its remarkable efficiency relies on a sophisticated amplification mechanism known as the ping-pong loop. In Alphavirus-infected Aedes mosquitoes, piRNAs with sequence features that suggest ping-pong-dependent biogenesis are produced from viral RNA. The PIWI family in Aedes mosquitoes is expanded when compared to other model organisms, raising the possibility that individual PIWI proteins have functionally diversified in these insects. Here, we show that Piwi5 and Ago3, but none of the other PIWI family members, are essential for piRNA biogenesis from Sindbis virus RNA in infected Aedes aegypti cells. In contrast, the production of piRNAs from transposons relies on a more versatile set of PIWI proteins, some of which do not contribute to viral piRNA biogenesis. These results indicate that functional specialization allows distinct mosquito PIWI proteins to process RNA from different endogenous and exogenous sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Miesen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Erika Girardi
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Ronald P van Rij
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Affiliation(s)
- John E Greenlee
- Department of Neurology, George E. Wahlen Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of Utah Health Sciences, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
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ERK signaling couples nutrient status to antiviral defense in the insect gut. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:15025-30. [PMID: 23980175 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1303193110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A unique facet of arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) infection is that the pathogens are orally acquired by an insect vector during the taking of a blood meal, which directly links nutrient acquisition and pathogen challenge. We show that the nutrient responsive ERK pathway is both induced by and restricts disparate arboviruses in Drosophila intestines, providing insight into the molecular determinants of the antiviral "midgut barrier." Wild-type flies are refractory to oral infection by arboviruses, including Sindbis virus and vesicular stomatitis virus, but this innate restriction can be overcome chemically by oral administration of an ERK pathway inhibitor or genetically via the specific loss of ERK in Drosophila intestinal epithelial cells. In addition, we found that vertebrate insulin, which activates ERK in the mosquito gut during a blood meal, restricts viral infection in Drosophila cells and against viral invasion of the insect gut epithelium. We find that ERK's antiviral signaling activity is likely conserved in Aedes mosquitoes, because genetic or pharmacologic manipulation of the ERK pathway affects viral infection of mosquito cells. These studies demonstrate that ERK signaling has a broadly antiviral role in insects and suggest that insects take advantage of cross-species signals in the meal to trigger antiviral immunity.
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Qualls WA, Day JF, Xue RD, Bowers DF. Altered behavioral responses of Sindbis virus-infected Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) to DEET and non-DEET based insect repellents. Acta Trop 2012; 122:284-90. [PMID: 22289669 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2012.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2011] [Revised: 01/09/2012] [Accepted: 01/12/2012] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Changes in the time to first bite (TFB) and the bloodfeeding behavior of adult female Aedes aegypti (L.) mosquitoes following dissemination of Sindbis virus (SINV) were observed after exposure to repellents with the active ingredients (AI) DEET, picaridin, 2-undecanone (2-U), and oil of lemon eucalyptus. Dissemination of SINV significantly decreased (P<0.0001) the TFB of DEET (15%) and picaridin (15%) by 46% and 37%, respectively. Significant (P<0.0001) changes in activation, probing, and engorgement times were observed in SINV infected mosquitoes after exposure to the four repellents compared to uninfected mosquitoes. Taken together, a decrease in TFB and time to complete the four bloodfeeding stages will lessen the prey-status, and enhance both the chances of mosquito survival and arbovirus transmission.
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VO MAI, LINSER PAULJ, BOWERS DORIAF. Organ-associated muscles in Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) respond differentially to Sindbis virus. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2010; 47:215-25. [PMID: 20380303 PMCID: PMC2866116 DOI: 10.1603/me09041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Differential host cell responses to the alphavirus Sindbis were observed in visceral muscles of the adult female mosquito Aedes albopictus. Following intrathoracic inoculation with SIN, muscles associated with the midgut, hindgut, and ovary resulted in clearance, persistence, and refractoriness to virus, respectively. Prominent sarcomeres characteristic of myofilaments were identified in muscles associated with these three organs by phalloidin labeling of actin, confirming these cells as muscle. The location of virus antigen mimicked the distribution of actin in both mid- and hindgut-associated muscles. Furthermore, these myofilaments remained intact following virus clearance from midgut muscles and during virus persistence in hindgut muscles. Changes in the temporal onset of virus antigen following high titer inoculum compared with standard titer inoculum was observed in anterior midgut muscles, but not in muscles associated with the posterior midgut or hindgut. Muscle bundles closely approximated the gut surface, while a wispy association was displayed at the ovary surface. Prominent ultrastructural differences were observed in the basal lamina attached to the gut compared with the ovary. Additionally, ultrastructural evidence for virus-associated pathology was observed in gut-associated muscles and gut epithelium. Visceral muscles, all composed of the same tissue type, but associated to three different organs in the insect abdomen, responded differentially to Sindbis. We speculate that variations in structure, function or physiology and ultrastructure inherent to insect host cells or organs interactions reflect the complicated milieu of the organism and contribute to differential virus phenotypic expression in muscle cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- MAI VO
- Florida State University, College of Medicine, Tallahassee, FL 32306
| | - PAUL J. LINSER
- Whitney Laboratory, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL 32080
| | - DORIA F. BOWERS
- Corresponding author: Department of Biology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224,
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Sim C, Hong YS, Vanlandingham DL, Harker BW, Christophides GK, Kafatos FC, Higgs S, Collins FH. Modulation of Anopheles gambiae gene expression in response to o'nyong-nyong virus infection. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2005; 14:475-81. [PMID: 16164603 PMCID: PMC3840949 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2583.2005.00578.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
To determine if gene expression of An. gambiae is modulated in response to o'nyong-nyong virus (ONNV) infection, we utilized cDNA microarrays including about 20 000 cDNAs. Gene expression levels of ONNV-infected female mosquitoes were compared to that of the uninfected control females harvested at 14 days postinfection. In response to ONNV infection, expression levels of 18 genes were significantly modulated, being at least two-fold up- or down-regulated. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis (qRT-PCR) further substantiated the differential expression of six of these genes in response to ONNV infection. These genes have similarity to a putative heat shock protein 70, DAN4, agglutinin attachment subunit, elongation factor 1 alpha and ribosomal protein L35. One gene, with sequence similarity to mitochondrial ribosomal protein L7, was down-regulated in infected mosquitoes. The expression levels and annotation of the differentially expressed genes are discussed in the context of host/virus interaction including host translation/replication factors, and intracellular transport pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Sim
- Center for Tropical Disease Research and Training, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
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Myles KM, Pierro DJ, Olson KE. Comparison of the transmission potential of two genetically distinct Sindbis viruses after oral infection of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae). JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2004; 41:95-106. [PMID: 14989352 DOI: 10.1603/0022-2585-41.1.95] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Within mosquitoes, arboviruses encounter barriers to infection and dissemination that are critical determinants of vector competence. The molecular mechanisms responsible for these barriers have yet to be elucidated. The prototype Sindbis (SIN) strain, AR339, and viruses derived from this strain, such as TR339 virus, have limited infection and transmission potential in the medically important arthropod vector, Aedes aegypti (L.). However, the Malaysian SIN virus strain, MRE16, disseminates in nearly 100% of Ae. aegypti 14 d after oral infection. Here, we compare the spatial and temporal infection patterns of MRE16 and TR339 viruses in Ae. aegypti. The results indicate that a midgut escape barrier is primarily responsible for the significantly lower dissemination and transmission potentials observed after oral infection with TR339 virus. MRE16 and TR339 viruses now represent a well-characterized model system for the further study of virus determinants of vector infection, particularly determinants affecting the midgut escape barrier in Ae. aegypti.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin M Myles
- Arthropod-Borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
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Myles KM, Pierro DJ, Olson KE. Deletions in the putative cell receptor-binding domain of Sindbis virus strain MRE16 E2 glycoprotein reduce midgut infectivity in Aedes aegypti. J Virol 2003; 77:8872-81. [PMID: 12885905 PMCID: PMC167217 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.77.16.8872-8881.2003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The Sindbis virus (Alphavirus; Togaviridae) strain MRE16 efficiently infects Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that ingest a blood meal containing 8 to 9 log(10) PFU of virus/ml. However, a small-plaque variant of this virus, MRE16sp, poorly infects mosquitoes after oral infection with an equivalent titer. To determine the genetic differences between MRE16 and MRE16sp viruses, we have sequenced the MRE16sp structural genes and found a 90-nucleotide deletion in the E2 glycoprotein that spans the 3' end of the coding region for the putative cell-receptor binding domain (CRBD). We examined the role of this deletion in oral infection of mosquitoes by constructing infectious clones pMRE16icDeltaE200-Y229 and pMRE16ic, representing MRE16 virus genomes with and without the deletion, respectively. A third infectious clone, pMRE16icDeltaE200-C220, was also constructed that contained a smaller deletion extending only to the 3' terminus of the CRBD coding region. Virus derived from pMRE16ic replicated with the same efficiency as parental virus in vertebrate (BHK-21) and mosquito (C6/36) cells and orally infected A. aegypti. Viruses derived from pMRE16icDeltaE200-Y229 and pMRE16icDeltaE200-C220 replicated 10- to 100-fold less efficiently in C6/36 and BHK-21 cells than did MRE16ic virus. Each deletion mutant poorly infected A. aegypti and dramatically reduced midgut infectivity and dissemination. However, all viruses generated nearly equal titers (approximately 6.0 log(10) PFU/ml) in mosquitoes 4 days after infection by intrathoracic inoculation. These results suggest that the deleted portion of the E2 CRBD represents an important determinant of MRE16 virus midgut infectivity in A. aegypti.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin M Myles
- Arthropod-Borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80526, USA
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Seabaugh RC, Olson KE, Higgs S, Carlson JO, Beaty BJ. Development of a chimeric sindbis virus with enhanced per Os infection of Aedes aegypti. Virology 1998; 243:99-112. [PMID: 9527919 DOI: 10.1006/viro.1998.9034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The TE/3'2J double subgenomic Sindbis (dsSIN) viruses have been used to stably express genes in Aedes aegypti nerve and salivary gland tissues. However, because these viruses inefficiently infect Ae. aegypti when administered by the per os route, TE/3'2J viruses must be intrathoracically inoculated into the mosquitoes to infect these tissues. A Malaysian Sindbis (SIN) virus isolate (MRE16) does efficiently infect Ae. aegypti midgut tissues after ingestion, and approximately 95% of these mosquitoes also develop disseminated infections within 14 days. We have sequenced the entire 26S RNA of MRE16 virus and have developed a chimeric SIN cDNA infectious clone, designated MRE1001, which contains sequence elements of TE/3'2J and MRE16 virus. MRE1001 virus efficiently infects midgut cells, and greater than 90% of infected mosquitoes develop disseminated infections after 14 days extrinsic incubation. The chimeric MRE1001 cDNA clone should allow identification of viral determinants of midgut infection and dissemination and lead to the development of new SIN virus expression systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- R C Seabaugh
- Department of Microbiology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80523, USA
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