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Articles 1 - 8 of 8
Full-Text Articles in Virology
Characterization Of The Role Of The Replicase And Quasispecies Diversity In Flaviviral Evolution And Host Adaptation, Haley Caldwell
Characterization Of The Role Of The Replicase And Quasispecies Diversity In Flaviviral Evolution And Host Adaptation, Haley Caldwell
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Flaviviruses include several emerging and re-emerging arboviruses that cause millions of infections each year. Although relatively well-studied, much remains unknown regarding the mechanisms and means by which these viruses adapt to different hosts and rapidly alternate between hosts. Different aspects of flaviviral biology impact host switching, viral fitness, and the generation of viral diversity during genome replication by the NS3 and NS5 proteins. Together these factors may impact host plasticity.
Regulation Of Host-Microbe Interactions In Autoimmunity And Antiviral Immunity By Cytosolic Nucleic Acid Sensing And Interferon Signaling, Derek Jerome Platt
Regulation Of Host-Microbe Interactions In Autoimmunity And Antiviral Immunity By Cytosolic Nucleic Acid Sensing And Interferon Signaling, Derek Jerome Platt
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Cytosolic nucleic acid sensing and interferon (IFN) signaling are central to the host immune response to microbial pathogens. However, dysregulation of immunological pathways such as these can result in devastating autoimmune disease. In order to provide a robust immune response to pathogen without causing harm to self, the host immune system must engage in a delicate balancing act, interacting with microbes and determining whether they are commensal or pathogenic. The cGAS-STING pathway is a key regulator of host-microbe interactions by cytosolic nucleic sensing and IFN signaling. Loss of function in the cGAS-STING pathway leads to increased susceptibility to pathogenic threats, …
Development Of An Attenuated Zika Virus By Editing The 5’ Untranslated Region, E. Ashley Thompson
Development Of An Attenuated Zika Virus By Editing The 5’ Untranslated Region, E. Ashley Thompson
Master's Theses
Zika Virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted flavivirus that usually causes no symptoms to mild febrile in humans, and it has been regarded as an insignificant pathogen to public health. However, recent outbreaks of ZIKV infection have revealed that ZIKV can cause severe neurological effects in adults, such as Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), and in infants whose mothers acquired the virus during pregnancy, causing Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS). Currently, no approved vaccine is available and there is a critical need to develop an effective and safe vaccine. While most vaccine developmental strategies target the viral prM-E protein of ZIKV, we aimed to …
Molecular Candidates For Blocking The Transmission Of Vector-Borne Diseases, Ashish Naresh Vora
Molecular Candidates For Blocking The Transmission Of Vector-Borne Diseases, Ashish Naresh Vora
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) require urgent attention as they have a high mortality rate, with 700,000 people dying in a year as of 2017. So far, extremely few reliable vaccination strategies and solutions have emerged. Transmission blocking vaccines are one among many solutions available to manage the control of VBDs. These require identification of both vector and pathogen molecules that play important roles in the transmission, dissemination and establishment of VBDs. Our strategy is to characterize these candidates that play important roles in vector-host-pathogen interactions. This manuscript presents two such studies identifying the participation of two arthropod molecules in vector-host-pathogen interactions. …
The Ifitms Inhibit Zika Virus Replication, George Savidis, Jill Perreira, Jocelyn M. Portmann, Paul Meraner, Zhiru Guo, Sharone Green, Abraham L. Brass
The Ifitms Inhibit Zika Virus Replication, George Savidis, Jill Perreira, Jocelyn M. Portmann, Paul Meraner, Zhiru Guo, Sharone Green, Abraham L. Brass
Sharone Green
Zika virus has emerged as a severe health threat with a rapidly expanding range. The IFITM family of restriction factors inhibits the replication of a broad range of viruses, including the closely related flaviruses West Nile virus and dengue virus. Here, we show that IFITM1 and IFITM3 inhibit Zika virus infection early in the viral life cycle. Moreover, IFITM3 can prevent Zika-virus-induced cell death. These results suggest that strategies to boost the actions and/or levels of the IFITMs might be useful for inhibiting a broad range of emerging viruses.
Identification Of Zika Virus And Dengue Virus Dependency Factors Using Functional Genomics, George Savidis, William M. Mcdougall, Paul Meraner, Jill Perreira, Jocelyn M. Portmann, Gaia Trincucci, Sinu P. John, Aaron M. Aker, Nicholas Renzette, Douglas R. Robbins, Zhiru Guo, Sharone Green, Timothy F. Kowalik, Abraham L. Brass
Identification Of Zika Virus And Dengue Virus Dependency Factors Using Functional Genomics, George Savidis, William M. Mcdougall, Paul Meraner, Jill Perreira, Jocelyn M. Portmann, Gaia Trincucci, Sinu P. John, Aaron M. Aker, Nicholas Renzette, Douglas R. Robbins, Zhiru Guo, Sharone Green, Timothy F. Kowalik, Abraham L. Brass
Sharone Green
The flaviviruses dengue virus (DENV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) are severe health threats with rapidly expanding ranges. To identify the host cell dependencies of DENV and ZIKV, we completed orthologous functional genomic screens using RNAi and CRISPR/Cas9 approaches. The screens recovered the ZIKV entry factor AXL as well as multiple host factors involved in endocytosis (RAB5C and RABGEF), heparin sulfation (NDST1 and EXT1), and transmembrane protein processing and maturation, including the endoplasmic reticulum membrane complex (EMC). We find that both flaviviruses require the EMC for their early stages of infection. Together, these studies generate a high-confidence, systems-wide view of human-flavivirus …
Ribavirin-Resistant St. Louis Encephalitis Virus Populations Display Phenotypic And Genotypic Characteristics Of High-Fidelity Rna Polymerase Variants, Sara B. Griesemer
Ribavirin-Resistant St. Louis Encephalitis Virus Populations Display Phenotypic And Genotypic Characteristics Of High-Fidelity Rna Polymerase Variants, Sara B. Griesemer
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) is mosquito-borne member of the family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus that is closely related to West Nile virus (WNV). Both viruses have potential to cause neuroinvasive disease in humans, and currently there is no vaccine or approved antiviral therapy. SLEV is maintained in nature through transmission between mosquitoes and birds, with humans acting as dead-end hosts. Despite their genetic and antigenic similarities, WNV and SLEV display different characteristics. WNV is known as a "generalist"; it is geographically widespread and can infect a wide variety of hosts, causing over 37,000 human cases in 48 U.S. states since …
Complete Genome Sequences And Phylogeny Of West Nile Virus Isolates From Southeastern United States, 2003-2012, Crystal Wedin
Complete Genome Sequences And Phylogeny Of West Nile Virus Isolates From Southeastern United States, 2003-2012, Crystal Wedin
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
The study of the evolution and phylogeny of West Nile virus (WNV) has been an important area of research since the introduction of WNV in 1999. However, genome sequencing of isolates from the Southeastern part of the United States has been somewhat limited. To determine how WNV has evolved at a more localized level, ten isolates from Florida and Georgia from 2003-2012 were completely sequenced using Illumina's next-generation technology. In addition, a phylogenetic comparison of both the complete genome and select partial genomes was completed to ensure consistency among the results. This study further demonstrated the dominance of the North …