{"id":250280,"date":"2021-05-14T21:30:22","date_gmt":"2021-05-14T18:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/scientists-rewrite-the-genesis-of-mosquito-borne-viruses\/"},"modified":"2021-05-14T21:30:22","modified_gmt":"2021-05-14T18:30:22","slug":"scientists-rewrite-the-genesis-of-mosquito-borne-viruses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/scientists-rewrite-the-genesis-of-mosquito-borne-viruses\/","title":{"rendered":"#Scientists rewrite the genesis of mosquito-borne viruses"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Scientists rewrite the genesis of mosquito-borne viruses<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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\"Scientists
\n Cryo-electron microscopy reconstruction of Binjari virus. The projecting spikes are a typical feature of immature flaviviruses such as dengue virus but reveal an unexpected organization. Credit: Associate Professor Fasseli Coulibaly
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Better designed vaccines for insect-spread viruses like dengue and Zika are likely after researchers discovered models of immature flavivirus particles were originally misinterpreted.\n <\/p>\n

Researchers from The University of Queensland and Monash University have now determined the first complete 3-D molecular structure of the immature flavivirus, revealing an unexpected organisation.<\/p>\n

UQ researcher Associate Professor Daniel Watterson said the team was studying the insect-specific Binjari virus when they made the discovery.<\/p>\n

“We were using Australia’s safe-to-handle Binjari virus, which we combine with more dangerous viral genes to make safer and more effective vaccines,” Dr. Watterson said.<\/p>\n

“But when analysing Binjari we could clearly see that the molecular structure we’ve all been working from since 2008 wasn’t quite correct.<\/p>\n

“Imagine trying to build a house when your blueprints are wrong\u2014that’s exactly what it’s like when you’re attempting to build effective vaccines and treatments and your molecular ‘map’ is not quite right.”<\/p>\n

The team used a technique known as cryogenic electron microscopy to image the virus, generating high resolution data from Monash’s Ramaciotti Centre for Cryo-Electron Microscopy facility.<\/p>\n

With thousands of collected two-dimensional images of the virus, the researchers then combined them using a high-performance computing platform called ‘MASSIVE’ to construct a high-resolution 3-D structure.<\/p>\n

Monash’s Associate Professor Fass\u00e9li Coulibaly, a co-leader of the study, said the revelation could lead to new and better vaccines for flaviviruses, which have a huge disease burden globally.<\/p>\n

“Flaviviruses are globally distributed and dengue virus alone infects around 400 million people annually,” Dr. Coulibaly said.<\/p>\n

“They cause a spectrum of potentially severe diseases including hepatitis, vascular shock syndrome, encephalitis, acute flaccid paralysis, congenital abnormalities and foetal death.<\/p>\n

“This structure defines the exact wiring of the immature virus before it becomes infectious, and we now have a better understanding of the levers and pulleys involved in viral assembly.<\/p>\n

“This is a continuation of fundamental research by us and others and, without this hard-won basic knowledge, we wouldn’t have the solid foundation needed to design tomorrow’s treatments.”\n <\/p>\n\n

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New defense against dengue and emerging mosquito-borne viruses\n <\/p><\/div>\n

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\n More information:<\/strong>
\n The structure of an infectious immature flavivirus redefines viral architecture and maturation, Science<\/a> Advances<\/i> (2021). DOI: 10.1126\/sciadv.abe4507<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n
\n Provided by
\n Monash University
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\n Citation<\/strong>:
\n Scientists rewrite the genesis of mosquito-borne viruses (2021, May 14)
\n retrieved 14 May 2021
\n from https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/news<\/a>\/2021-05-scientists-rewrite-genesis-mosquito-borne-viruses.html<\/p>\n

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