Generation of Chimeric Zika Viruses To Study Capsid Specificity and Assembly Process
Open Access
- Author:
- Liu, Xinyi
- Area of Honors:
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Joyce Jose, Thesis Supervisor
Paul Babitzke, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Zika
Flavivirus
Capsid
Complement - Abstract:
- Zika Virus (ZIKV) is an arthropod-borne virus belonging to the Flavivirus genus and Flaviviridae family. After its first emergence in Africa in 1947, ZIKV re-emerged in Brazil in 2015 and has since spread rapidly across the Americas. It has led to increasing cases of congenital microcephaly in children of the infected women thus raised great epidemiological interest in the public. The Flaviviridae family includes viruses such as West Nile virus (WNV), dengue virus (DENV) and deer tick virus (DTV). Some of these viruses are transmitted by mosquitos and some are transmitted by ticks. Currently, genome replication and assembly process of Flavivirus is not completely known. Although the flavivirus capsid protein (C) contains residues critical for RNA binding, and the hydrophobic interaction to membrane lipids in the encapsidation process, a detailed understanding of C-RNA and C-lipid interactions remains unknown. Structures of C from many flaviviruses are similar, yet they are believed to be virus-specific. This study is intended to understand the mechanism of the capsid specificity among four flaviviruses, in terms of viral RNA interactions and assembly process. In this study, the C of ZIKV was substituted with the homologous C of West Nile Virus (WNV) and tested for virus viability and infectivity. The results of our experiments show that the WNV capsid is not able to complement for ZIKV C. Further studies need to be performed to understand whether WNV C failed to package ZIKV RNA or failed to take part in the assembly of the mature virion.