Aedes aegypti D7 Saliva Protein Inhibits Dengue Virus Infection.

Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of several medically relevant arboviruses including dengue virus (DENV) types 1-4. Ae. aegypti transmits DENV by inoculating virus-infected saliva into host skin during probing and feeding. Ae. aegypti saliva contains over one hundred unique proteins and these pro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Main Authors: Michael J Conway, Berlin Londono-Renteria, Andrea Troupin, Alan M Watson, William B Klimstra, Erol Fikrig, Tonya M Colpitts
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2016
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0004941
https://doaj.org/article/578446c954934bc2af9050a87dd833f6
Description
Summary:Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of several medically relevant arboviruses including dengue virus (DENV) types 1-4. Ae. aegypti transmits DENV by inoculating virus-infected saliva into host skin during probing and feeding. Ae. aegypti saliva contains over one hundred unique proteins and these proteins have diverse functions, including facilitating blood feeding. Previously, we showed that Ae. aegypti salivary gland extracts (SGEs) enhanced dissemination of DENV to draining lymph nodes. In contrast, HPLC-fractionation revealed that some SGE components inhibited infection. Here, we show that D7 proteins are enriched in HPLC fractions that are inhibitory to DENV infection, and that recombinant D7 protein can inhibit DENV infection in vitro and in vivo. Further, binding assays indicate that D7 protein can directly interact with DENV virions and recombinant DENV envelope protein. These data reveal a novel role for D7 proteins, which inhibits arbovirus transmission to vertebrates through a direct interaction with virions.