Last data update: May 06, 2024. (Total: 46732 publications since 2009)
Records 1-3 (of 3 Records) |
Query Trace: Byers NM[original query] |
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Improved mosquito housing and saliva collection method enhances safety while facilitating longitudinal assessment of individual mosquito vector competence for arboviruses
Ledermann JP , Burns PL , Perinet LC , Powers AM , Byers NM . Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2023 24 (1) 55-63 Background: Assessing the potential for mosquitoes to transmit medically important arboviruses is essential for understanding their threat to human populations. Currently, vector competence studies are typically performed by collecting saliva using a glass capillary tube system which involves sacrificing the mosquito at the time of saliva collection allowing only a single data point. These techniques also require handling infected mosquitoes and glass capillaries, constituting a safety risk. Materials and Methods: To improve the efficiency and safety of assessing vector competence, a novel containment and saliva collection approach for individually housed mosquitoes was developed. The improved housing, allowing longitudinal tracking of individual mosquitoes, consists of a 12-well Corning polystyrene plate sealed with a three-dimensional printed lid that holds organdy netting firmly against the rims of the wells. Results: This method provides excellent mosquito survival for five species of mosquitoes, with at least 79% of each species tested surviving for more than 2 weeks, comparable to the carton survival rates of ≥76%. When the plate housing system was used to assess vector infection, replication of West Nile virus (WNV) in mosquito tissues was similar to traditional containment mosquito housing. Mosquito saliva was collected using either blotting paper pads or traditional glass capillaries to assay viral transmission. The blotting paper collection showed similar or better sensitivity than the capillary method; in addition, longitudinal saliva samples could be collected from individual mosquitoes housed in the 12-well plates. Conclusions: The improved housing and saliva collection technique described herein provides a safer and more informative method for determining vector competence in mosquitoes. |
Identification of mosquito proteins that differentially interact with alphavirus nonstructural protein 3, a determinant of vector specificity.
Byers NM , Burns PL , Stuchlik O , Reed MS , Ledermann JP , Pohl J , Powers AM . PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023 17 (1) e0011028 Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and the closely related onyong-nyong virus (ONNV) are arthritogenic arboviruses that have caused significant, often debilitating, disease in millions of people. However, despite their kinship, they are vectored by different mosquito subfamilies that diverged 180 million years ago (anopheline versus culicine subfamilies). Previous work indicated that the nonstructural protein 3 (nsP3) of these alphaviruses was partially responsible for this vector specificity. To better understand the cellular components controlling alphavirus vector specificity, a cell culture model system of the anopheline restriction of CHIKV was developed along with a protein expression strategy. Mosquito proteins that differentially interacted with CHIKV nsP3 or ONNV nsP3 were identified. Six proteins were identified that specifically bound ONNV nsP3, ten that bound CHIKV nsP3 and eight that interacted with both. In addition to identifying novel factors that may play a role in virus/vector processing, these lists included host proteins that have been previously implicated as contributing to alphavirus replication. |
Metabolomic Insights into Human Arboviral Infections: Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika Viruses.
Byers NM , Fleshman AC , Perera R , Molins CR . Viruses 2019 11 (3) The global burden of arboviral diseases and the limited success in controlling them calls for innovative methods to understand arbovirus infections. Metabolomics has been applied to detect alterations in host physiology during infection. This approach relies on mass spectrometry or nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to evaluate how perturbations in biological systems alter metabolic pathways, allowing for differentiation of closely related conditions. Because viruses heavily depend on host resources and pathways, they present unique challenges for characterizing metabolic changes. Here, we review the literature on metabolomics of arboviruses and focus on the interpretation of identified molecular features. Metabolomics has revealed biomarkers that differentiate disease states and outcomes, and has shown similarities in metabolic alterations caused by different viruses (e.g., lipid metabolism). Researchers investigating such metabolomic alterations aim to better understand host(-)virus dynamics, identify diagnostically useful molecular features, discern perturbed pathways for therapeutics, and guide further biochemical research. This review focuses on lessons derived from metabolomics studies on samples from arbovirus-infected humans. |
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