Aedes aegypti AgBR1 antibodies modulate early Zika virus infection of mice

Nat Microbiol. 2019 Jun;4(6):948-955. doi: 10.1038/s41564-019-0385-x. Epub 2019 Mar 11.

Abstract

A recent epidemic of Zika virus in the Americas, affecting well over a million people, caused substantial mortality and morbidity, including Guillain-Barre syndrome, microcephaly and other fetal developmental defects1,2. Preventive and therapeutic measures that specifically target the virus are not readily available. The transmission of Zika virus is predominantly mosquito-borne, and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes serve as a key vector for Zika virus3. Here, to identify salivary factors that modulate mosquito-borne Zika virus infection, we focused on antigenic proteins in mice that were repeatedly bitten by mosquitoes and developed antibodies against salivary proteins. Using a yeast surface display screen, we identified five antigenic A. aegypti salivary proteins in mice. Antiserum against one of these five proteins-A. aegypti bacteria-responsive protein 1 (AgBR1)-suppressed early inflammatory responses in the skin of mice bitten by Zika-virus-infected mosquitoes. AgBR1 antiserum also partially protected mice from lethal mosquito-borne-but not needle-injected-Zika virus infection. These data suggest that AgBR1 is a target for the prevention of mosquito-transmitted Zika virus infection.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aedes / immunology*
  • Aedes / virology
  • Animals
  • Bacteria
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Female
  • Gene Silencing
  • Insect Bites and Stings / prevention & control
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mosquito Vectors / immunology*
  • Mosquito Vectors / virology
  • Recombinant Proteins / immunology
  • Saliva / immunology
  • Salivary Glands
  • Salivary Proteins and Peptides / genetics
  • Salivary Proteins and Peptides / immunology*
  • Skin / immunology
  • Skin / pathology
  • Zika Virus / pathogenicity*
  • Zika Virus Infection / immunology*
  • Zika Virus Infection / prevention & control
  • Zika Virus Infection / transmission

Substances

  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Salivary Proteins and Peptides