NS1 codon usage adaptation to humans in pandemic Zika virus

Author(s):Show less -

Caio César de Melo Freire ^[1] ; Giuseppe Palmisano ^[2] ; Carla T Braconi ^[3] ; Fernanda R Cugola ^[4] ; Fabiele B Russo ^[4] ; Patricia CB Beltrão-Braga ; Atila Iamarino ^[7] ; Daniel Ferreira de Lima Neto ^[3] ; Amadou Alpha Sall ^[7] ; Livia Rosa-Fernandes ^[8] ; Martin R Larsen ^[8] ; Paolo Marinho de Andrade Zanotto ^[3]

Affiliation

^[1] Universidade Federal de São Carlos. Departamento de Genética e Evolução - Brasil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Ciencias Biomed, Dept Parasitol, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Ciencias Biomed, Dept Microbiol, Lab Evolucao Mol & Bioinforrnat, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Lab Celulas Tronco, Dept Cirurgia, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[6] Universidade de São Paulo. Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas. Departamento de Microbiologia - Brasil

^[7] Inst Pasteur, Dakar - Senegal

^[8] Univ Southern Denmark, Dept Biochem & Mol Biol, Odense - Denmark

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz; v. 113, n. 5 2018-05-10.

Abstract

BACKGROUND Zika virus (ZIKV) was recognised as a zoonotic pathogen in Africa and southeastern Asia. Human infections were infrequently reported until 2007, when the first known epidemic occurred in Micronesia. After 2013, the Asian lineage of ZIKV spread along the Pacific Islands and Americas, causing severe outbreaks with millions of human infections. The recent human infections of ZIKV were also associated with severe complications, such as an increase in cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome and the emergence of congenital Zika syndrome. OBJECTIVES To better understand the recent and rapid expansion of ZIKV, as well as the presentation of novel complications, we compared the genetic differences between the African sylvatic lineage and the Asian epidemic lineage that caused the recent massive outbreaks. FINDINGS The epidemic lineages have significant codon adaptation in NS1 gene to translate these proteins in human and Aedes aegypti mosquito cells compared to the African zoonotic lineage. Accordingly, a Brazilian epidemic isolate (ZBR) produced more NS1 protein than the MR766 African lineage (ZAF) did, as indicated by proteomic data from infections of neuron progenitor cells-derived neurospheres. Although ZBR replicated more efficiently in these cells, the differences observed in the stoichiometry of ZIKV proteins were not exclusively explained by the differences in viral replication between the lineages. MAIN CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that natural, silent translational selection in the second half of 20th century could have improved the fitness of Asian ZIKV lineage in human and mosquito cells. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/06090-4 - Estimative of the intra and inter genic and genetic diversity from the populations of the baculovirus Anticarsia gemmatalis multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AgMNPV) in field isolates from South America
• Grantee: Caio César de Melo Freire
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 16/03605-9 - Temporal expression of Zika virus genes from strains of African and Brazilian and mapping of the gene expression in permissive, semi- permissive and non- permissive systems
• Grantee: Daniel Ferreira de Lima Neto
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 14/17766-9 - A systemic approach to study permissivity on the Anticarsia gemmatalis multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AgMNPV)
• Grantee: Paolo Marinho de Andrade Zanotto
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 12/04818-5 - Evolution and phyloynamics of HIV-1 BF recombinants from South America
• Grantee: Atila Iamarino
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 14/03911-7 - Evaluation of host-parasite interaction of the AgMNPV baculovirus with distinct lepidopteran cell lines
• Grantee: Carla Torres Braconi
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral