title: Replacement of conserved or variable sequences of the mosquito-borne dengue virus 3' UTR with homologous sequences from Modoc virus does not change infectivity for mosquitoes.
abstract: The genus Flavivirus includes both vector-borne and no known vector (NKV) species, but the molecular determinants of transmission mode are not known. Conserved sequence differences between the two groups occur in 5' and 3' UTRs. To investigate the impact of these differences on transmission, chimeric genomes were generated, in which UTRs, UTRs+capsid, or the upper 3' UTR stem-loop of mosquito-borne dengue virus (DENV) were replaced with homologous regions from NKV Modoc virus (MODV); the conserved pentanucleotide sequence (CPS) was also deleted from the DENV genome. Virus was not recovered following transfection of these genomes in three different cell types. However, DENV genomes in which the CPS or variable region (VR) of the 3' UTR were replaced with MODV sequences were recovered and infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with similar efficiencies to DENV. These results demonstrate that neither vector-borne CPS nor VR is required for vector-borne transmission.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.|Molecular Biology Program, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA.
authors.forename: Ebenezer
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tumban
authors.affiliation: Molecular Biology Program, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA.
authors.forename: Nyree E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Maes
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA.
authors.forename: Erin E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Schirtzinger
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA.
authors.forename: Katherine I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Young
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Hanson
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Whitehead
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA.|Molecular Biology Program, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA.
authors.forename: Kathryn A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Hanley
mesh_terms: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D000330:Aedes / Q000821:virology*; D000818:Animals; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D002460:Cell Line; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D006224:Cricetinae; D005416:Flavivirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D017385:Sequence Homology; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D036022:Capsid Proteins