In-silico Characterization of Target Protein in Dengue Infection

Abstract

Infection of humans with the virus is primarily mediated by the Aedes mosquito. The virus grows in the mosquito gut and migrates to aq 1 the salivary glands.. Dengue virus (DENV), which includes four serotypes (DENV1–4), is transmitted to humans by Aedes mosquitos and is the etiological agent of dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever. DENV causes an estimated 50–100 million cases of dengue fever, 500,000 cases of severe dengue (dengue hemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS)), and more than 20,000 deaths each year in tropical and subtropical regions, representing a considerable public health threat in over 100 countries worldwide. However, there are still no specific antiviral drugs or licensed vaccines against DENV infection. Dengue virus primarily propagates in skin dendritic cells, and subsequently virus proliferation is thought to occur in target cells such as those of the monocyte/macrophage lineage. Second, carbohydrate binding proteins, termed lectins, expressed on dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages under the human skin are involved in initial contact of DENV introduced by mosquito bite. Among these lectins, dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule-3-grabbing non integrin (DCSIGN) has been best characterized in virus-DC interaction.