Aedes aegypti global gene expression modulated by anti-DENV bacteria and identification of dengue virus restriction factors (DVRFs)

Abstract

In the last years, dengue disease become the vector-borne disease of most importance in public health due to the geographical expansion of the four dengue virus (DENV) serotype and its vector, the Aedes aegypti mosquito, that are well established in most of the tropical countries. In Brazil, after dengue resurgence in the beginning of 80s on Roraima State, the numbers of infections are growing significantly, achieving 1 million cases in 2010. DENV transmission by the vector is directly related to its vector competence, defined as the vector permittivity to the infection, replication and transmission of a specific pathogen. Recent studies indicate that the intestinal microbiota is a determinant factor in mosquito vector competence. Removing those microbes from mosquito midgut, through antibiotic treatment, result in higher rates of DENV infection in Aedes aegypti, suggesting that bacteria protect mosquitoes against viral infections.In fact, certain bacteria isolates can inhibit DENV after being reintroduced in mosquito midgut, possibly by a modulation of immune genes related to pathways that act on anti-dengue response, as Toll and JAK-STAT pathways. However, this mechanisms is not completely understood, in a way that we still don't know which are the global changes in transcripts abundance induced specifically by anti-dengue bacteria, nether the immune effects acting against the virus. Thus, a broad comparative gene expression study, covering completely the Ae. aegypti genome would be necessary to determine the set of anti-DENV genes modulated by the gut microbiota. Besides that, the development of functional assays sweeping RNAi, will be of high importance to the identification of effectors molecules acting against the virus in this process. (AU)