title: Secreted Vago restricts West Nile virus infection in Culex mosquito cells by activating the Jak-STAT pathway.
abstract: Although West Nile virus (WNV) and other arthropod-borne viruses are a major public health problem, the mechanisms of antiviral immunity in mosquitoes are poorly understood. Dicer-2, responsible for the RNAi-mediated response through the C-terminal RNase-III domain, also contains an N-terminal DExD/H-box helicase domain similar to mammalian RIG-I/MDA5 which, in Drosophila, was found to be required for activation of an antiviral gene, Vago. Here we show that the Culex orthologue of Vago (CxVago) is up-regulated in response to WNV infection in a Dicer-2-dependent manner. Further, our data show that CxVago is a secreted peptide that restricts WNV infection by activation of the Jak-STAT pathway. Thus, Vago appears to function as an IFN-like antiviral cytokine in mosquitoes.
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Animal, Food and Health Sciences, Australian Animal Health Laboratory, Geelong, VIC 3220 Australia.
authors.forename: Prasad N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Paradkar
authors.forename: Lee
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Trinidad
authors.forename: Rhonda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Voysey
authors.forename: Jean-Bernard
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Duchemin
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Walker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D006224:Cricetinae; D003465:Culex / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000502:physiology*; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D053612:Janus Kinases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D043244:Ribonuclease III / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D014709:Vero Cells; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000635:transmission; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D019476:Insect Proteins; D012367:RNA, Viral; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors; D053612:Janus Kinases; D043244:Ribonuclease III; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases