Analysis of the interaction between Yellow Fever NS5 protein with human Snf5

• Grant number: 08/07751-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: September 01, 2009
• End date: August 31, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Maurício Lacerda Nogueira
• Grantee: Danilo Vilas Boas Duarte
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP). Secretaria de Desenvolvimento Econômico (São Paulo - Estado). São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Yellow Fever is a mosquito-borne flaviviral hemorrhagic fever caused by Yellow Fever Virus (YFV) that is the prototype of the genus Flavivirus. YF is characterized by severe hepatitis, renal failure, hemorrhage, and rapid terminal events with shock and death. The mechanism of Flavivirus replication is not well known but includes viral RNA interactions with viral and cellular proteins. The nonstructural protein 5 (NS5) is the largest and most highly conserved of the Flavivirus protein. NS5 is critical for many functions, including replication, capping of RNA, and possibly host-cell gene regulation. In previous studies using two-hybrid assay, NS5 was identified interacting with the human protein Snf5, which is an important factor for cellular transcriptional regulation. The purpose of this study is to characterize the interaction between Snf5 and NS5, and to analyze the importance of this interaction for YFV replication. The results can help to understand the dynamic of viral replication, host-cell gene regulation, pathogenesis and viral tropism of YFV.