Article
Virology
Rebecca Salgado, Seth A. Hawks, Francesca Frere, Ana Vazquez, Claire Y. -H. Huang, Nisha K. Duggal
Summary: The study showed that exposure to an attenuated form of WNV protects against severe USUV disease in mice, providing critical insight into immune mechanisms and potential vaccine development for both USUV and WNV.
Review
Immunology
Kassandra L. Carpio, Alan D. T. Barrett
Summary: The Flavivirus genus includes many important human pathogens, with NS1 protein playing a crucial role as a diagnostic marker for flavivirus infection. Its roles in disease pathogenesis and protective immunity make NS1 an excellent target for candidate vaccines.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Na Li, Cheng-Lin Deng, Qi Li, Xiao-Ling Chen, Bo Zhang, Han-Qing Ye
Summary: High titers of replication-defective ZIKV with NS1 deletion (ZIKV-Delta NS1) were generated using the NS1 transcomplementation system. ZIKV-Delta NS1 vaccine induced antibody responses and provided protection against ZIKV infection in mice. Moreover, ZIKV-Delta NS1 vaccination attenuated vertical transmission during pregnancy. These findings highlight the potential of the NS1 trans-complementation system for developing flavivirus vaccines.
ANTIVIRAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Ya-Nan Zhang, Na Li, Qiu-Yan Zhang, Jing Liu, Shun-Li Zhan, Lei Gao, Xiang-Yue Zeng, Fang Yu, Hong-Qing Zhang, Xiao-Dan Li, Cheng-Lin Deng, Pei-Yong Shi, Zhi-Ming Yuan, Shao-Peng Yuan, Han-Qing Ye, Bo Zhang
Summary: The development of a new live-attenuated vaccine, WNV-poly(A), shows promising results with efficient propagation and high attenuation in mouse models, providing full protection after a single dose vaccination. This poly(A) vaccine strategy may have wide applications in the development of flavivirus live-attenuated vaccines due to its general target regions in flaviviruses.
EMBO MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Rebecca Weiss, Leila Issmail, Alexandra Rockstroh, Thomas Grunwald, Jasmin Fertey, Sebastian Ulbert
Summary: West Nile Virus is a virus transmitted by mosquitoes that can cause severe neurological symptoms. However, there is currently no human vaccine available for WNV. This study found that the E protein and the fusion loop domain (FL) of WNV have cross-reactivity, which should be taken into consideration for vaccine development.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Ivo C. C. Martins, Rafaela C. C. Ricardo, Nuno C. C. Santos
Summary: Dengue, West Nile, and Zika viruses are vector-borne flaviviruses that cause disease outbreaks with potentially severe symptoms and socioeconomic repercussions. Currently, there are no specific treatments available, and only generic symptom relief is possible. The effectiveness of the first dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia, is limited. Prophylactic approaches against other viruses are even more restricted. Therefore, there is a need for therapeutic strategies.
Article
Virology
Renee Zakhia, Alan P. Dupuis, Faycal Khodr, Mahdi Fadel, Laura D. Kramer, Nabil Haddad
Summary: Through serological screening and mosquito collection testing, evidence of local exposure of the Lebanese population to West Nile virus was found, along with the first report of equine WNV in the country.
Article
Immunology
Sean M. Bialosuknia, Alan P. Dupuis Ii, Steven D. Zink, Cheri A. Koetzner, Joseph G. Maffei, Jennifer C. Owen, Hannah Landwerlen, Laura D. Kramer, Alexander T. Ciota
Summary: This study presents updated surveillance and sequencing data for West Nile virus (WNV) in New York State (NYS) and investigates the association between NY10 genotype strains and phenotypic changes indicative of adaptive advantage. The results show a significant increase in prevalence of NY10 in mosquitoes and demonstrate that the NY10 genotype is associated with increased infectivity and transmissibility. Experimental infections show higher viremia kinetics for the NY10 genotype compared to WN02. These findings suggest that the adaptive advantage of the NY10 genotype has likely contributed to the increased prevalence of WNV in NYS.
EMERGING MICROBES & INFECTIONS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Ute Ziegler, Felicitas Bergmann, Dominik Fischer, Kerstin Mueller, Cora M. Holicki, Balal Sadeghi, Michael Sieg, Markus Keller, Rebekka Schwehn, Maximilian Reuschel, Luisa Fischer, Oliver Krone, Monika Rinder, Karolin Schuette, Volker Schmidt, Martin Eiden, Christine Fast, Anne Gunther, Anja Globig, Franz J. Conraths, Christoph Staubach, Florian Brandes, Michael Lierz, Ruediger Korbel, Thomas W. Vahlenkamp, Martin H. Groschup
Summary: This report summarizes the monitoring results of birds in different regions of Germany, identifying the circulation of USUV and WNV, as well as analyzing the seroprevalence of the viruses in different regions. The findings suggest that wild bird monitoring can serve as an early warning system for predicting human exposure risk.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Jiawu Wan, Ting Wang, Jing Xu, Tao Ouyang, Qianruo Wang, Yanni Zhang, Shiqi Weng, Yihan Li, Yu Wang, Xiu Xin, Xiaoling Wang, Sha Li, Lingbao Kong
Summary: LTB-NS1(Delta)(63) demonstrates strong immunogenicity and shows promising results as an oral vaccine in mice. This protein-based mucosa vaccine could serve as a novel approach to combat Japanese encephalitis virus and other flaviviruses effectively.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sonal Mundhra, Vijay P. Bondre
Summary: The level of apoptosis induced by low neurovirulent WNV lineage 5 strain 804994 and high neurovirulent lineage 1 strain 68856 in human neuroblastoma cells, IMR-32, was investigated. The results show that the higher replication fitness of strain 68856 is correlated with higher levels of cytopathology induced by apoptosis. This suggests that the virulence of a WNV strain may be determined by its replication capacity and ability to cause cellular damage.
Article
Virology
Elisa Mancuso, Jacopo Giuseppe Cecere, Federica Iapaolo, Annapia Di Gennaro, Massimo Sacchi, Giovanni Savini, Fernando Spina, Federica Monaco
Summary: In this study, the potential role of migratory birds in spreading West Nile Virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV) from Africa and Central Europe to Mediterranean areas was investigated. Molecular and serological surveys were conducted on migrating birds sampled in Italy, revealing the presence of WNV and USUV RNA as well as neutralizing antibodies against these viruses. This highlights the importance of active surveillance of zoonotic viruses in order to better understand their transmission patterns.
Article
Virology
Orianne Constant, Jonathan Barthelemy, Anna Nagy, Sara Salinas, Yannick Simonin
Summary: The study shows that increased levels of inflammatory cytokines and neuronal factors in patients infected with West Nile virus (WNV) are associated with the development of severe neurological impairments. These biomarkers could play a crucial role in patient monitoring, improving care, and preventing undesirable outcomes.
Article
Microbiology
Nereida Jimenez de Oya, Ana San-Felix, Mireia Casasampere, Ana-Belen Blazquez, Patricia Mingo-Casas, Estela Escribano-Romero, Eva Calvo-Pinilla, Teresa Poderoso, Josefina Casas, Juan-Carlos Saiz, Maria-Jesus Perez-Perez, Miguel A. Martin-Acebes
Summary: Polyphenols like gallic acid and its derivatives have the potential to be used as new therapeutic agents due to their ability to modify lipid metabolism. Through evaluation, two polyphenols, N,N '-(dodecane-1,12-diyl)bis(3,4,5-trihydroxybenzamide) and its 2,3,4-trihydroxybenzamide regioisomer, were found to have selective antiviral activity against West Nile virus, as well as other flaviviruses, with low cytotoxicity. The mechanism of action involves the alteration of sphingolipid metabolism.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2023)
Article
Virology
Szu-Chia Hsieh, Wen-Yang Tsai, Jih-Jin Tsai, Mars Stone, Graham Simmons, Michael P. Busch, Marion Lanteri, Susan L. Stramer, Angel Balmaseda, Eva Harris, Wei-Kung Wang
Summary: The study highlights the need for better serological tests to distinguish past ZIKV, DENV, and other flavivirus infections, and improve vaccine strategies in endemic regions where interactions between these viruses are critical.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Na Li, Zhe-Rui Zhang, Ya-Nan Zhang, Jing Liu, Cheng-Lin Deng, Pei-Yong Shi, Zhi-Ming Yuan, Han-Qing Ye, Bo Zhang
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jieyu Yang, Xuping Jing, Wenfu Yi, Xiao-Dan Li, Chen Yao, Bo Zhang, Zhenhua Zheng, Hanzhong Wang, Peng Gong
Summary: Research on RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRPs) in RNA viruses found that a region between RdRP catalytic motifs B and C showed host-related diversity. Substitutions in this region did not significantly affect RdRP catalytic activities but did not support virus proliferation.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Minmin Zhou, Shaobo Wang, Jiao Guo, Yang Liu, Junyuan Cao, Xiaohao Lan, Xiaoying Jia, Bo Zhang, Gengfu Xiao, Wei Wang
Summary: PDGFR beta was identified as a potential therapeutic target against JEV infection, with the inhibitor imatinib showing protection against JEV-induced lethality by reducing viral load in the brain and preventing histopathological changes.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Qiu-Yan Zhang, Cheng-Lin Deng, Jing Liu, Jia-Qi Li, Hong-Qing Zhang, Na Li, Ya-Nan Zhang, Xiao-Dan Li, Bo Zhang, Yi Xu, Han-Qing Ye
Summary: An SARS-CoV-2 replicon was constructed for safe antiviral screening in BSL-2 laboratories, providing an effective platform for evaluating inhibitors and establishing a high-throughput screening assay. The replicon-based assay was validated using hit natural compounds from a previous cytopathic-effect-based HTS assay, demonstrating its potential for antiviral research without using live virus.
JOURNAL OF GENERAL VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Virology
Na Li, Zhen Wang, Rui Wang, Zhe-Rui Zhang, Ya-Nan Zhang, Cheng-Lin Deng, Bo Zhang, Lu-Qing Shang, Han-Qing Ye
Summary: Lycorine can inhibit CHIKV in cell culture without cytotoxicity and exhibits broad-spectrum anti-alphavirus activity at an early post-entry stage of CHIKV life cycle.
Article
Virology
Ya-Nan Zhang, Zhe-Rui Zhang, Na Li, Xin-Ru Pei, Xiao-Dan Li, Cheng-Lin Deng, Han-Qing Ye, Bo Zhang
Summary: This study successfully propagated Chikungunya virus in Vero cells through the construction of a chimeric VEEV-Delta C-CHIKV, significantly improving its yield. The passaged VEEV-Delta C-CHIKV demonstrated the safety and practicality of utilizing infectious capsidless viral particles of Chikungunya virus as a vaccine candidate.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Na Li, Xiao-Ling Chen, Qi Li, Zhe-Rui Zhang, Cheng-Lin Deng, Bo Zhang, Xiao-Dan Li, Han-Qing Ye
Summary: This study establishes a more convenient and efficient method for rapid screening of inhibitors blocking syncytium formation using VEEV-SARS-CoV-2-S-eGFP replicating cells. The assay can be performed in a BSL-2 laboratory without manipulation of live SARS-CoV-2.
EMERGING MICROBES & INFECTIONS
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Na Li, Cheng-Lin Deng, Qi Li, Xiao-Ling Chen, Bo Zhang, Han-Qing Ye
Summary: High titers of replication-defective ZIKV with NS1 deletion (ZIKV-Delta NS1) were generated using the NS1 transcomplementation system. ZIKV-Delta NS1 vaccine induced antibody responses and provided protection against ZIKV infection in mice. Moreover, ZIKV-Delta NS1 vaccination attenuated vertical transmission during pregnancy. These findings highlight the potential of the NS1 trans-complementation system for developing flavivirus vaccines.
ANTIVIRAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Correction
Virology
Xiao-Dan Li, Cheng-Lin Deng, Zhi-Ming Yuan, Han-Qing Ye, Bo Zhang
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Virology
Yu-Jia Shi, Jia-Qi Li, Hong-Qing Zhang, Cheng-Lin Deng, Qin-Xuan Zhu, Bo Zhang, Xiao-Dan Li
Summary: This article describes the establishment of a high throughput screening (HTS) platform based on a recombinant Semliki Forest virus (SFV) for studying antiviral drugs against mosquito-borne alphaviruses. By using the SFV-eGFP reporter virus, a 96-well format HTS assay was successfully established and optimized, allowing rapid screening of broad-spectrum alphavirus inhibitors.
Letter
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yuanyuan Li, Yanan Zhang, Yu Zhou, Yan Li, Jiao Xu, Yuanbao Ai, Lei Xu, Xiuli Xiao, Bo Zhang, Jing Jin
SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION AND TARGETED THERAPY
(2023)
Letter
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hong-Qing Zhang, Ya-Nan Zhang, Zhe-Rui Zhang, Xiao-Ling Chen, Yan-Yan Hu, Yu-Jia Shi, Jing Wang, Cheng-lin Deng, Bo Zhang, Xiao-Dan Li, Han-Qing Ye
SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION AND TARGETED THERAPY
(2022)
Letter
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jianxia Ou, Yanan Zhang, Yongmei Wang, Zherui Zhang, Hongping Wei, Junping Yu, Qi Wang, Guifeng Wang, Bo Zhang, Chunhe Wang
SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION AND TARGETED THERAPY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jia-Qi Li, Zhe-Rui Zhang, Hong-Qing Zhang, Ya-Nan Zhang, Xiang-Yue Zeng, Qiu-Yan Zhang, Cheng-Lin Deng, Xiao-Dan Li, Bo Zhang, Han-Qing Ye
Summary: The study demonstrated a safe and cost-effective method to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection by expressing neutralizing antibodies in the lungs. Through in vitro and in vivo assays, it was shown that self-replicating mRNA could efficiently block SARS-CoV-2 infection with reduced viral titer and tissue damage in the lung with the help of lung target delivery using the VRP system.
SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION AND TARGETED THERAPY
(2021)
Letter
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shichao Huang, Yu'e Liu, Yanan Zhang, Ru Zhang, ChengJie Zhu, Lihong Fan, Gang Pei, Bo Zhang, Yufeng Shi
SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION AND TARGETED THERAPY
(2020)