title: Arbovirus-derived piRNAs exhibit a ping-pong signature in mosquito cells.
abstract: The siRNA pathway is an essential antiviral mechanism in insects. Whether other RNA interference pathways are involved in antiviral defense remains unclear. Here, we report in cells derived from the two main vectors for arboviruses, Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti, the production of viral small RNAs that exhibit the hallmarks of ping-pong derived piwi-associated RNAs (piRNAs) after infection with positive or negative sense RNA viruses. Furthermore, these cells produce endogenous piRNAs that mapped to transposable elements. Our results show that these mosquito cells can initiate de novo piRNA production and recapitulate the ping-pong dependent piRNA pathway upon viral infection. The mechanism of viral-piRNA production is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur, Viruses and RNA interference Group and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique URA 3015, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vodovar
authors.forename: Alfred W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Bronkhorst
authors.forename: Koen W R
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: van Cleef
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Miesen
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Blanc
authors.forename: Ronald P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: van Rij
authors.forename: Maria-Carla
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Saleh
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology; D000818:Animals; D001102:Arbovirus Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology; D001103:Arboviruses / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D009033:Culicidae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000821:virology*; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000502:physiology; D005784:Gene Amplification / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016662:Virus Integration / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering