Role of the intergenic dinucleotide in vesicular stomatitis virus RNA transcription.

The viral order Mononegavirales consist of eight virus families. Members of these families include some of the most infectious (Measles, lethal (Ebola and Rabies), and most common viruses (Respiratory syncytial virus, RSV). Despite their medical importance, few vaccines and no antiviral treatments are available for treating infections with these viruses. Being obligate cellular parasites, viruses must rely on the cellular machinery for their replication. One example of this is the widespread use of molecular chaperones, which assist the correct folding of newly synthesized proteins, refold misfolded or aggregated proteins, and play key roles in maintaining proteostasis in cells. Targeting chaperones required for viral replication may, therefore, provide an antiviral approach. In this work, we set out to identify all the members of the cytoplasmic chaperone network that are involved in the replication of RSV using an RNA interference screen. Among our hits is valosin-containing protein (VCP; also known as p97), a chaperone involved in ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation, which has been shown to play a role in the life cycle of several viruses. We investigated the role of VCP during RSV and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) infections using specific VCP inhibitors. Our results suggest that VCP activity is necessary for RSV and VSV replication and may constitute a promising antiviral approach for the Mononegavirales.

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Detection of buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) seroreactive for vesicular stomatitis virus in the state of Paraíba, Northeastern Brazil

Semina Ciências Agrárias ◽

10.5433/1679-0359.2019v40n6supl3p3769 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (6Supl3) ◽

pp. 3769

Author(s):

Camila de Sousa Bezerra ◽

Jéssica Tatiane Sauthier ◽

Juliana Felipetto Cargnelutti ◽

Gisele Cândida Ramalho ◽

Denise Batista Nogueira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vesicular Stomatitis Virus ◽

Virus Isolation ◽

Neutralization Test ◽

Bubalus Bubalis ◽

The State ◽

Virus Neutralization Test ◽

Northeastern Brazil ◽

Antibody Titers ◽

Vesicular Stomatitis

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) in buffaloes in the state of Paraíba, Northeastern Brazil. The study was carried out in 14 herds in the municipalities of Alagoa Nova, Areia, Campina Grande, Guarabira, Juripiranga, Santa Helena, Sapê, Rio Tinto, Santana dos Garrotes, Itatuba, Solânea, and Cacimbas. The studied population was formed by buffalo females reared for meat and milk, comprising of mixed and Murrah breeds, at least 24 months of age. For the serological diagnosis of VSIV-3, the virus-neutralization test (VN) was performed, using the VSIV-3 isolate 2013 São Bento/Paraíba. Real prevalence was 2.6% for VSIV-3, with antibody titers ranging from 160 to 1280. This is the first study to characterize VSV circulation in the buffalo population in Northeastern Brazil, where infection is considered endemic; some aspects of virus maintenance are not fully understood, such as the role of reservoirs in endemic areas. The identification of seroreactive animals in this study demonstrates the circulation of VSIV-3 in the buffalo species. Reports of virus isolation in this species have not yet been described, which suggests the need for investigating the role of buffaloes in vesicular stomatitis epidemiology.

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