Detection, infection dynamics and small RNA response against Culex Y virus in mosquito-derived cells

Franzke, K. et al. (2018) Detection, infection dynamics and small RNA response against Culex Y virus in mosquito-derived cells. Journal of General Virology, 99, pp. 1739-1745. (doi: 10.1099/jgv.0.001173) (PMID:30394867)

Abstract

Many insect cell lines are persistently infected with insect-specific viruses (ISV) often unrecognized by the scientific community. Considering recent findings showing the possibility of interference between arbovirus and ISV infections, it is important to pay attention to ISV-infected cell lines. One example is the Entomobirnavirus, Culex Y virus (CYV). Here we describe the detection of CYV using a combination of small RNA sequencing, electron microscopy and PCR in mosquito cell lines Aag2, U4.4 and C7-10. We found CYV-specific small RNAs in all three cell lines. Interestingly, the magnitude of the detected viral RNA genome is variable among cell passages and leads to irregular detection via electron microscopy. Gaining insights into the presence of persistent ISV infection in commonly used mosquito cells and their interactions with the host immune system is beneficial for evaluating the outcome of co-infections with arboviruses of public health concern.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was funded by the UK Medical Research Council (MC_UU_12014) (E. S.), the Leibniz Association (grant no. SAW-2011-BNI-3-29, SAW-2014-SGN-3) (M. L.) and a Welcome Trust Senior Inves-tigator Award (099220/Z/12/Z) (R. M. E.).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Brennan, Dr Benjamin and Vattipally, Dr Sreenu and Schnettler, Dr Esther
• Authors: Franzke, K., Leggewie, M., Vattipally, S., Jansen, S., Heitmann, A., Welch, S. R., Brennan, B., Elliott, R. M., Tannich, E., Becker, S. C., and Schnettler, E.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity > Centre for Virus Research
• Journal Name: Journal of General Virology
• Publisher: Society for General Microbiology
• ISSN: 0022-1317
• ISSN (Online): 1465-2099
• Published Online: 05 November 2018