Abstract
Mayaro virus (MAYV), a sylvatic arbovirus belonging to the Togaviridae family and Alphavirus genus, is responsible for an increasing number of outbreaks in several countries of Central and South America. Despite Haemagogus janthinomys being identified as the main vector of MAYV, laboratory studies have already demonstrated the competence of Aedes aegypti to transmit MAYV. It has also been demonstrated that the Wolbachia wMel strain is able to impair the replication and transmission of MAYV in Ae. aegypti. In Ae. aegypti, the small interfering RNA (siRNA) pathway is an important antiviral mechanism; however, it remains unclear whether siRNA pathway acts against MAYV infection in Ae. aegypti. The main objective of this study was to determine the contribution of the siRNA pathway in the control of MAYV infection. Thus, we silenced the expression of AGO2, an essential component of the siRNA pathway, by injecting dsRNA-targeting AGO2 (dsAGO2). Our results showed that AGO2 is required to control MAYV replication upon oral infection in Wolbachia-free Ae. aegypti. On the other hand, we found that Wolbachia-induced resistance to MAYV in Ae. aegypti is independent of the siRNA pathway. Our study brought new information regarding the mechanism of viral protection, as well as on Wolbachia mediated interference.
Highlights
Mayaro virus (MAYV) is an arthropod-borne Alphavirus that can infect humans and cause significant outbreaks in several regions of South America [1,2]
We found that Wolbachia-induced resistance to MAYV in Ae. aegypti is independent of the small interfering RNA (siRNA) pathway
We tested the effect of Wolbachia presence on the MAYV infection rates using a population of mosquitoes carrying the Wolbachia strain wMel originated from D. melanogaster
Summary
Mayaro virus (MAYV) is an arthropod-borne Alphavirus that can infect humans and cause significant outbreaks in several regions of South America [1,2]. Despite human infections being strongly associated with forest and rural environments representing spillovers from sylvatic cycle, several factors facilitate the possibility of MAYV urbanization that could lead to the emergence of permanent endemic urban cycles [8]. These include I) the regular occurrence of MAYV cases in cities located in neotropical regions [9] and, II) the high prevalence of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, both species presenting robust vector competence [10,11,12,13]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
