Wolbachia-mediated arbovirus transmission blocking in mosquitoes
Event details
| Date | 06.12.2016 |
| Hour | 12:15 › 13:15 |
| Speaker | Prof. Steven Sinkins, Centre for Virus Research, University of Glasgow |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
The intracellular inherited bacteria Wolbachia can block the transmission of dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses by Aedes mosquitoes, and can also spread through host populations by manipulating their reproduction. Wolbachia is now being deployed as a dengue control tool in a number of countries. We have now created and characterized a number of transinfected lines in Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus using a range of Wolbachia strains, and the results highlight the key role host factors play in determining Wolbachia intracellular density and fitness parameters.
Oral challenges were conducted with the dengue and Zika viruses and the degree of transmission blocking varied widely with strain. wMel, the strain currently being used for dengue control campaigns, produced a comparatively low degree of transmission blocking, and also showed susceptibility to loss after larval heat treatment. A proteomic quantification of the effects of Wolbachia revealed unexpected perturbations in cholesterol transport and vesicular trafficking, which could impact viral entry and replication. Treatment with a cholesterol binding agent reversed the dengue-blocking phenotype in Wolbachia-infected Ae. aegypti cells.
Oral challenges were conducted with the dengue and Zika viruses and the degree of transmission blocking varied widely with strain. wMel, the strain currently being used for dengue control campaigns, produced a comparatively low degree of transmission blocking, and also showed susceptibility to loss after larval heat treatment. A proteomic quantification of the effects of Wolbachia revealed unexpected perturbations in cholesterol transport and vesicular trafficking, which could impact viral entry and replication. Treatment with a cholesterol binding agent reversed the dengue-blocking phenotype in Wolbachia-infected Ae. aegypti cells.
Practical information
- Informed public
- Free
Organizer
- Bruno Lemaitre