Generation and Functional Characterization of a GUAPV Infectious Clone via RCR to Investigate Antiviral Signaling and Arbovirus Interference in Aedes aegypti

• Grant number: 25/17203-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: January 20, 2026
• End date: January 19, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Maurício Lacerda Nogueira
• Grantee: Igor da Silva Teixeira
• Supervisor: Roenick Proveti Olmo
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP). São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Institut De Biologie Moléculaire Et Cellulaire, France
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/22180-5 - INVESTIGATION OF THE INTERFERENCE OF GUAPIAÇU VIRUS, AN INSECT-SPECIFIC ORTHOFLAVIVIRUS, IN THE MULTIPLICATION AND TRANSMISSION CYCLE IN MEDICALLY IMPORTANT ARBOVIRUSES, BP.DR

Abstract

Arboviruses such as dengue (DENV) and chikungunya (CHIKV) continue to pose a global public health threat. Infections caused by these viruses have a significant impact on public health, leading to high medical costs and substantial socioeconomic burdens. Insect-specific viruses (ISVs) are emerging as promising modulators of arbovirus replication in mosquito vectors like Aedes aegypti. Among them, Guapiaçu virus (GUAPV), a newly identified Orthoflavivirus from Brazilian Aedes mosquitoes, displays restricted replication in vertebrate cells and shares genetic features with pathogenic Orthoflavivirus. This project aims to synthesize and characterize a full-length infectious clone of GUAPV using the Replication Cycle Reaction (RCR) technique, enabling precise genome reconstruction without bacterial propagation. The clone will be used to evaluate GUAPV replication, tropism, and interference with DENV and CHIKV during co-infection in Ae. aegypti. Transcriptomic and small RNA analyses will be conducted to assess the modulation of antiviral immune pathways, such as RNAi, Toll, and JAK/STAT. This work will provide functional insight into the mechanisms of viral interference and may identify GUAPV as a potential biotechnological tool for arbovirus control. Additionally, it will overcome the current lack of experimental ISV systems, contributing to our understanding of vector competence and host-virus interactions.