Abstract
Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is a New World alphavirus that is vectored by mosquitos and cycled in rodents. It can cause disease in equines and humans characterized by a febrile illness that may progress into encephalitis. Like the capsid protein of other viruses, VEEV capsid is an abundant structural protein that binds to the viral RNA and interacts with the membrane-bound glycoproteins. It also has protease activity, allowing cleavage of itself from the growing structural polypeptide during translation. However, VEEV capsid protein has additional nonstructural roles within the host cell functioning as the primary virulence factor for VEEV. VEEV capsid inhibits host transcription and blocks nuclear import in mammalian cells, at least partially due to its complexing with the host CRM1 and importin α/β1 nuclear transport proteins. VEEV capsid also shuttles between the nucleus and cytoplasm and is susceptible to inhibitors of nuclear trafficking, making it a promising antiviral target. Herein, the role of VEEV capsid in viral replication and pathogenesis will be discussed including a comparison to proteins of other alphaviruses.
Highlights
Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) OverviewAlphaviruses are important emerging mosquito-borne pathogens from the viral classification
Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is a New World alphavirus that is vectored by mosquitos and cycled in rodents
Representatives of this grouping that cause disease in humans include chikungunya virus (CHIKV), responsible for millions of instances of arthralgia; Ross River virus (RRV), the cause of epidemic polyarthritis; and Sindbis virus (SINV) and Semliki Forest virus (SFV), which cause polyarthritis characterized by fever and rash, though laboratory strains are typically considered avirulent with a few notable exceptions
Summary
Alphaviruses are important emerging mosquito-borne pathogens from the viral classification. Group IV (+) ssRNA virus family Togaviridae They are found globally and cause localized outbreaks as well as human epidemics. Representatives of this grouping that cause disease in humans include chikungunya virus (CHIKV), responsible for millions of instances of arthralgia; Ross River virus (RRV), the cause of epidemic polyarthritis; and Sindbis virus (SINV) and Semliki Forest virus (SFV), which cause polyarthritis characterized by fever and rash, though laboratory strains are typically considered avirulent with a few notable exceptions (reviewed in [1]). Epizootic strains of VEEV have been responsible for every outbreak of the disease including an outbreak where over 200,000 humans were infected in Columbia during the 1960’s. VEEV is used in the laboratory as a model for alphavirus research, in NW alphavirus research due to the ability to work with TC-83 at BSL-2
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