Functional study of Envelope Protein N-Glycosylation on St. Louis encephalitis virus Infection.

• Grant number: 23/10771-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: August 01, 2024
• End date: February 28, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Biology and Physiology of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: Rafael Elias Marques Pereira Silva
• Grantee: Luiza Leme
• Host Institution: Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM). Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brasil). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) is an arbovirus of the Flavivirus genus that can be found in many countries of the Americas causing outbreaks, including Brazil. SLEV infection can lead to the development of the encephalitis of St. Louis, a disease to which there is no approved vaccine or treatment and that in severe cases can lead to severe neurological symptoms and ultimately death. SLEV is neglected in many aspects, like the scarce literature about it, the lack of surveillance policies, preventative measures, diagnostic methods, or treatments against St. Louis Encephalitis. The presence of glycosylation in viral proteins is considered a virulence factor in many viruses. The Envelope protein of flaviviruses can present up to two conserved glycosylation sites, studies show that the glycosylation of E protein can impact the efficacy of these virus in the process of cell entry, replication and neuroinvasiveness. In general, SLEV strains present a conserved glycosylation site on the asparagine located at the position 154 of the envelope protein (N154), but the role it plays in SLEV infection is still unknown. In this work, we will study the effects of the glycosylation N154 of SLEV E protein on viral biology, more specifically evaluating the role of it on the process of infection. Our goal is to construct a non-glycosylated SLEV infectious clone, that will allow us to compare the dynamic of infection in vitro and in vivo against the wildtype strain.