Chikungunya virus adaptation to Aedes albopictusmosquitoes does not correlate with acquisition of cholesterol dependence or decreased pH threshold for fusion reaction

Tsetsarkin, Mcgee, Higgs, Higgs Stephen

Description

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito transmitted alphavirus that recently caused several large scale outbreaks/epidemics of arthritic disease in tropics of Africa, Indian Ocean basin and South-East Asia. This re-emergence event was facilitated by genetic adaptation (E1-A226V substitution) of CHIKV to a newly significant mosquito vector for this virus; Aedes albopictus . However, the molecular mechanism explaining the positive effect of the E1-A226V mutation on CHIKV fitness in this vector remains largely unknown. Previously we demonstrated that the E1-A226V substitution is also associated with attenuated CHIKV growth in cells depleted by cholesterol. Methods In this study, using a panel of CHIKV clones that varies in sensitivity to cholesterol, we investigated the possible relationship between cholesterol dependence and Ae. albopictus infectivity. Results We demonstrated that there is no clear mechanistic correlation between these two phenotypes. We also showed that the E1-A226V mutation increases the pH dependence of the CHIKV fusion reaction; however, subsequent genetic analysis failed to support an association between CHIKV dependency on lower pH, and mosquito infectivity phenotypes. Conclusion the E1-A226V mutation probably acts at different steps of the CHIKV life cycle, affecting multiple functions of the virus.

Sujets

• Aedes albopictus
• Cholestérol

Informations

• Publié par: biomed
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 7
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Tsetsarkin et al . Virology Journal 2011, 8 :376 http://www.virologyj.com/content/8/1/376

R E S E A R C H Open Access Chikungunya virus adaptation to Aedes albopictus mosquitoes does not correlate with acquisition of cholesterol dependence or decreased pH threshold for fusion reaction Konstantin A Tsetsarkin 1* , Charles E McGee 2 and Stephen Higgs 1

Abstract Background: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito transmitted alphavirus that recently caused several large scale outbreaks/epidemics of arthritic disease in tropics of Africa, Indian Ocean basin and South-East Asia. This re- emergence event was facilitated by genetic adaptation (E1-A226V substitution) of CHIKV to a newly significant mosquito vector for this virus; Aedes albopictus . However, the molecular mechanism explaining the positive effect of the E1-A226V mutation on CHIKV fitness in this vector remains largely unknown. Previously we demonstrated that the E1-A226V substitution is also associated with attenuated CHIKV growth in cells depleted by cholesterol. Methods: In this study, using a panel of CHIKV clones that varies in sensitivity to cholesterol, we investigated the possible relationship between cholesterol dependence and Ae. albopictus infectivity. Results: We demonstrated that there is no clear mechanistic correlation between these two phenotypes. We also showed that the E1-A226V mutation increases the pH dependence of the CHIKV fusion reaction; however, subsequent genetic analysis failed to support an association between CHIKV dependency on lower pH, and mosquito infectivity phenotypes. Conclusion: the E1-A226V mutation probably acts at different steps of the CHIKV life cycle, affecting multiple functions of the virus. Keywords: Chikungunya virus, Aedes albopictus , cholesterol, pH threshold of fusion

Introduction that lack typical vector Ae. aegypti [5-10]. Phylogenetic Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an arthritogenic alpha- studies have identified a sp ecific mutation (E1-A226V) virus, has received global attention due to the series of in the E1 glycoprotein of CHIKV strains circulating in recent large-scale outbreaks in different parts of the the areas where Ae. albopictus serves as primary virus world including Africa, Indian Ocean Islands, India and vector [6,8,9,11-13]. Additionally, laboratory studies con- countries of South-East Asia [1,2]. The virus was also firmed that the E1-A226V substitution leads to introduced with viremic travelers into Europe where it increased CHIKV infectivity and is associated with more caused, for the first time, autonomously transmitted out- efficient dissemination and transmission by Ae. albopic- breaks in 2007 [3] and 2010 [4]. The global expansion of tus [14,15]. We also demonstrated that midgut epithelial CHIKV was at least partially attributed to the viral adap- cells of Ae. albopictus appear to be the primary target tation to a new mosquito vector Aedes (Ae.) albopictus , cells where this mutation has the most profound effect which facilitated CHIKV transmission in the regions [16]. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the positive effect of E1-A226V on CHIKV infectivity for * Correspondence: [e-mail] midgut cells of Ae. albopictus remains largely unknown. 1 Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, The envelope of CHIKV consists of 240 copies of Texas, USA membrane-embedded E2- E1 heterodimers, which Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © 2011 Tsetsarkin et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.