title: Exposure to West Nile Virus Increases Bacterial Diversity and Immune Gene Expression in Culex pipiens.
abstract: Complex interactions between microbial residents of mosquitoes and arboviruses are likely to influence many aspects of vectorial capacity and could potentially have profound effects on patterns of arbovirus transmission. Such interactions have not been well studied for West Nile virus (WNV; Flaviviridae, Flavivirus) and Culex spp. mosquitoes. We utilized next-generation sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA bacterial genes derived from Culex pipiens Linnaeus following WNV exposure and/or infection and compared bacterial populations and broad immune responses to unexposed mosquitoes. Our results demonstrate that WNV infection increases the diversity of bacterial populations and is associated with up-regulation of classical invertebrate immune pathways including RNA interference (RNAi), Toll, and Jak-STAT (Janus kinase-Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription). In addition, WNV exposure alone, without the establishment of infection, results in similar alterations to microbial and immune signatures, although to a lesser extent. Multiple bacterial genera were found in greater abundance inWNV-exposed and/or infected mosquitoes, yet the most consistent and notable was the genus Serratia.
authors.affiliation: Griffin Laboratory, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Slingerlands, NY 12159, USA. steven.zink@health.ny.gov.
authors.forename: Steven D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Zink
authors.affiliation: Griffin Laboratory, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Slingerlands, NY 12159, USA. greta.vanslyke@health.ny.gov.
authors.forename: Greta A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Van Slyke
authors.affiliation: Wadsworth Center Bioinformatics Core, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY 12222, USA. michael.palumbo@health.ny.gov.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Palumbo
authors.affiliation: Griffin Laboratory, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Slingerlands, NY 12159, USA. laura.kramer@health.ny.gov.
authors.forename: Laura D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.affiliation: Griffin Laboratory, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Slingerlands, NY 12159, USA. alexander.ciota@health.ny.gov.
authors.forename: Alexander T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Ciota
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D058448:Biota; D003465:Culex / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000821:virology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D056265:Microbial Interactions; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics*; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
keywords: Culex mosquitoes; West Nile virus; arbovirus; invertebrate immunity; microbiome