Abstract
Several studies have observed that the immune response in insects can be conserved, a phenomenon known as immune priming, which has been mostly tested in adult stages. However, it is unknown if induction of immune priming in larval stages protects against dengue virus (DENV) infections in adult mosquitoes. In this work, we primed larval instar 3rd of Aedes aegypti with inactive dengue virus, producing adult mosquitoes with i) an enhanced antiviral-immune response; ii) a reduction in the load and replication of RNA of dengue virus (DENV); iii) a decline in viral infective particles production. Adult mosquitoes previously primed during larval stages over-expressed RNA interference (RNAi) markers Argonaute-2 (AGO-2) and Dicer-2 (DCR-2). We also observed inter-individual variations of DENV infection in adult mosquitoes, indicating a heterogeneous response to DENV infection in the same mosquito strain. However, mosquitoes primed during larval stages appear to control the infection, reducing the viral load. The over-expression of interferon-like factors (VAGO) and AGO-2 in the pupa stage suggests a fast activation of antiviral mechanisms after immune priming in larvae, creating a condition in which adult mosquitoes are resistant to the pathogen in the posterior exposure.
Highlights
Several studies have observed that the immune response in insects can be conserved, a phenomenon known as immune priming, which has been mostly tested in adult stages
These results indicate that immune priming at the larval stage with inactive dengue virus (DENV), could enhance the antiviral immune response in adult mosquitoes against a second challenge with active DENV
Immune priming with inact-DV in the larval stage protects against active DENV (act-DV) infection in adult mosquitoes
Summary
Several studies have observed that the immune response in insects can be conserved, a phenomenon known as immune priming, which has been mostly tested in adult stages. Endoreplication, a type of de novo DNA synthesis, was shown to correlate with the activation of the Notch pathway, where Hindsight, Delta, and Notch were overexpressed after a secondary challenge with active DENV, in primed Ae. aegypti mosquitoes[6] These findings open a new perspective on the mechanisms underlying the vector’s antiviral immune response and the effector molecules involved. Susceptibility of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus larvae to Dengue virus infection has been demonstrated for three different serotypes[10] These results indicate that immune priming at the larval stage with inactive DENV (inact-DV), could enhance the antiviral immune response in adult mosquitoes against a second challenge with active DENV (act-DV). We evaluated the siRNAs pathway without ruling out that other immune pathways might be involved
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