Autor: |
Piyasena TBH; Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Queensland, Australia., Newton ND; Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Queensland, Australia., Hobson-Peters J; Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Queensland, Australia., Vet LJ; Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Queensland, Australia., Setoh YX; Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Queensland, Australia., Bielefeldt-Ohmann H; Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Queensland, Australia., Khromykh AA; Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Queensland, Australia., Hall RA; Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Queensland, Australia. |
Abstrakt: |
Here we report the generation of novel chimeric flaviviruses, which express the prM and E proteins of either dengue or Zika viruses on the genomic backbone of Palm Creek virus (PCV), an insect-specific flavivirus. The chimeric virus particles were antigenically indistinguishable from their parental prM-E donors, but were unable to infect vertebrate cells. An additional chimera (PCV structural genes in the backbone of West Nile virus - WNV/PCV-prME) was also unable to infect vertebrate cells, but transfection with RNA from this virus resulted in detectable RNA replication and translation but no infectious virion production. These data suggest multiple blocks at the entry, RNA replication and assembly/release stages of insect-specific flavivirus (ISF) infection in vertebrate cells. Serial passaging of these chimeric viruses in mosquito cells identified amino acid substitutions that may lead to increased replication efficiency. These chimeric viruses provide unique tools to further dissect the mechanisms of the host restriction of ISFs. |