Recognition of genomic patterns associated with virus-host specificity for Dengue virus

• Grant number: 24/23438-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Biology and Physiology of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: Marielton dos Passos Cunha
• Grantee: Maria Sofia Sunega Tognon
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Dengue Fever is an infectious disease caused by an arbovirus of the Flaviviridae family and Orthoflavivirus genus, manifesting itself in sylvatic and urban transmission cycles, and which is called Orthoflavivirus denguei (DENV). In recent decades, the expansion of the disease across different continents and the presence of increasingly frequent outbreaks and epidemics indicate a growing threat to Public Health. To date, there are no vaccines or medications widely available around the world to treat the disease, which highlights the importance of understanding the genomic patterns linked to virus-host specificity, which can be a key for the virus circulation control. Thus, this project aims to investigate the biological aspects associated with virus-host specificity for one of the main arboviruses that circulate in the urban environment, the DENV. To achieve this objective, the study material will come from genomic sequences available in public databases, with the characterization of the use of nucleotides and codons, in addition to calculating the codon adaptation index based on comparison with the frequencies of use of codons related to hosts and possible vectors. In general, the methods applied in the study include computational tools for genomic data analysis, data integration and data mining. The expectation of the study is that the obtained results will enable an in-depth understanding of the genomic patterns linked to the adaptation of the virus to vertebrate hosts and vectors. Thereby, advances in knowledge about the ecology, evolution and epidemiology of DENV will be viable, with possible implications for other arboviruses with potential of emergence and dissemination in urban environments of the world with tropical and subtropical climates.