Uncovering the Underlying Mechanisms Blocking Replication of Bluetongue Virus Serotype 26 (BTV-26) in Culicoides Cells

Monsion, Baptiste; Mohd Jaafar, Fauziah; Mertens, Peter P.C.; Attoui, Houssam

Abstract

At least 12 serotypes of ‘atypical’ bluetongue virus (BTV-25 to BTV-36) have been identified to date. These atypical serotypes fail to infect/replicate in Culicoides-derived cell lines and/or adult Culicoides vectors and hence can no longer be transmitted by these vectors. They appear to be horizontally transmitted from infected to in-contact ruminants, although the route(s) of infection remain to be identified. Viral genome segments 1, 2 and 3 (Seg-1, Seg2 and Seg-3) of BTV-26 were identified as involved in blocking virus replication in KC cells. We have developed Culicoides-specific expression plasmids, which we used in transfected insect cells to assess the stability of viral mRNAs and protein expression from full-length open reading frames of Seg-1, -2 and -3 of BTV-1 (a Culicoides-vectored BTV) or BTV-26. Our results indicate that the blocked replication of BTV-26 in KC cells is not due to an RNAi response, which would lead to rapid degradation of viral mRNAs. A combination of degradation/poor expression and/or modification of the proteins encoded by these segments appears to drive the failure of BTV-26 core/whole virus-particles to assemble and replicate effectively in Culicoides cells.

Citation

Monsion, B., Mohd Jaafar, F., Mertens, P. P., & Attoui, H. (2023). Uncovering the Underlying Mechanisms Blocking Replication of Bluetongue Virus Serotype 26 (BTV-26) in Culicoides Cells. Biomolecules, 13(6), Article 878. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom13060878

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 18, 2023
• Online Publication Date: May 23, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023-06
• Deposit Date: May 25, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: May 25, 2023
• Journal: Biomolecules
• Electronic ISSN: 2218-273X
• Publisher: MDPI AG
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 6
• Article Number: 878
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/biom13060878
• Keywords: Bluetongue virus; atypical bluetongue virus; BTV-26; BTV-1; blocked replication; insect cells; horizontal transmission; mechanisms underlying blocking replication
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/21107371
• Publisher URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/13/6/878