title: Detection and sequencing of defective viral genomes in C6/36 cells persistently infected with dengue virus 2.
abstract: Dengue virus is the most important arbovirus that affects humans, and it can establish persistent infections, especially in insect-derived cell cultures. Defective viral genomes have been implicated in the establishment and maintenance of persistent infections with several flaviviruses; however, there exists almost no information concerning defective dengue virus genomes. Here, we report the detection of defective dengue 2 virus genomes in persistently infected mosquito C6/36 cells. The defective viral genomes were detected at a low ratio compared with the wild-type genome. Deletions of approximately 147 residues (222-368) were found in the E protein, and these mainly affected domain III (73 %) of the protein; deletions of approximately 153 residues (4-156) and 228 residues (597-825) were found in the methyltransferase and polymerase domains, respectively, of the NS5 protein. The truncated versions of NS5 could be detected by western blot only in the protein extracts derived from persistently infected cells.
authors.affiliation: Programa Institucional de Biomedicina Molecular, Escuela Nacional de Medicina y Homeopatía, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Guillermo Massieu Helguera 239 Col. La Escalera Ticomán, 07320 Mexico D.F., Mexico.
authors.forename: Ariadna Berenice
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Juárez-Martínez
authors.forename: Tania Olivia
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Vega-Almeida
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salas-Benito
authors.forename: Matilde
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: García-Espitia
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Nova-Ocampo
authors.forename: Rosa María
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Del Ángel
authors.forename: Juan Santiago
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Salas-Benito
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000821:virology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D006224:Cricetinae; D003673:Defective Viruses / Q000235:genetics*; D003716:Dengue Virus / Q000235:genetics*; D016679:Genome, Viral; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C096041:NS5 protein, flavivirus; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; C072281:E protein TH Sman, Dengue virus