Understanding the mechanism of Chikungunya virus vector competence in three species of mosquitoes

Abstract

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is primarily transmitted by Aedes spp. mosquitoes. The present study investigated vector competence for CHIKV in Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes found in Madurai, South India. The role of receptor proteins on midguts contributing to permissiveness of CHIKV to Aedes spp. mosquitoes was also undertaken. Mosquitoes were orally infected with CHIKV DRDE‐06. Infection of midguts and dissemination to heads was confirmed by immunofluorescence assay at different time points. A plaque assay was performed from mosquito homogenates at different time points to study CHIKV replication. Presence of putative CHIKV receptor proteins on mosquito midgut epithelial cells was detected by virus overlay protein binding assay (VOPBA). The identity of these proteins was established using mass spectrometry. CHIKV infection of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus midguts and dissemination to heads was observed to be similar. A plaque assay performed with infected mosquito homogenates revealed that CHIKV replication dynamics was similar in Aedes sp. mosquitoes until 28 days post infection. VOPBA performed with mosquito midgut membrane proteins revealed that prohibitin could serve as a putative CHIKV receptor on Aedes mosquito midguts, whereas an absence of CHIKV binding protein/s on Culex quinquefasciatus midguts can partially explain the non‐permissiveness of these mosquitoes to infection.

An Overview of Indian Biomedical Research on the Chikungunya Virus with Particular Reference to Its Vaccine, an Unmet Medical Need

“…The pathogenesis is influenced by the CHIKV E1 protein’s molecular mimicry of host proteins [ 231 ]. Desai led a different team from the same institute that looked into the mechanisms underlying the three kinds of Aedes mosquitoes’ ability to serve as CHIKV vectors [ 232 ]. To enter the mosquito cell line, the CHIKV interacts with the protein heat shock cognate 70 (HSC 70), and C6/36 cells treated with quercetin and YM-01 showed dose-dependent inhibitory potential [ 233 ].…”

Isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification-based proteomic analysis of host-pathogen protein interactions in the midgut of Aedes albopictus during dengue virus infection

“…albopictus infected with DENV. Most previous studies used the virus overlay binding protein assay (VOBPA) method or two-dimensional electrophoresis to analyze protein levels, and protein identification was limited to the molecular weight, or only focused on the analysis at the cell level ( Ghosh et al, 2019 ). Isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ), as a highly advanced proteomic platform, can identify differentially regulated proteins more accurately and provide reliable quantitative information.…”