Cell fusing agent virus isolated from Aag2 cells does not vertically transmit in Aedes aegypti via artificial infection

Ningxin Zhou; Enjiong Huang; Xiaoxia Guo; Yiping Xiong; Jingwen Xie; Tong Cai; Yutong Du; Qixing Wu; Sihan Guo; Wanrong Han; Hengduan Zhang; Dan Xing; Tongyan Zhao; Yuting Jiang

doi:10.1186/s13071-023-06033-3

Cell fusing agent virus isolated from Aag2 cells does not vertically transmit in Aedes aegypti via artificial infection

Parasit Vectors. 2023 Nov 6;16(1):402. doi: 10.1186/s13071-023-06033-3.

Authors

Ningxin Zhou^#^{1

2}, Enjiong Huang^#³, Xiaoxia Guo², Yiping Xiong², Jingwen Xie^{1

2}, Tong Cai², Yutong Du², Qixing Wu^{2

4}, Sihan Guo^{2

4}, Wanrong Han^{2

5}, Hengduan Zhang², Dan Xing², Tongyan Zhao⁶, Yuting Jiang⁷

Affiliations

¹ Public Health School of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350122, China.
² Department of Vector Biology and Control, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China.
³ Fuzhou International Travel Healthcare Center, Fuzhou, 350001, China.
⁴ Artemisinin Research Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510405, China.
⁵ Life Science College, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, 650224, China.
⁶ Department of Vector Biology and Control, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China. tongyanzhao@126.com.
⁷ Department of Vector Biology and Control, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China. captain99@126.com.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: Cell fusing agent virus (CFAV) was the first insect-specific virus to be characterized, and has been reported to negatively influence the growth of arboviruses such as dengue, Zika, and La Cross, making it a promising biocontrol agent for mosquito-borne disease prevention. Aedes aegypti Aag2 cells were naturally infected with CFAV. However, the ability of this virus to stably colonize an Ae. aegypti population via artificial infection and how it influences the vector competence of this mosquito have yet to be demonstrated.

Methods: CFAV used in this study was harvested from Aag2 cells and its complete genome sequence was obtained by polymerase chain reaction and rapid amplification of complementary DNA ends, followed by Sanger sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis of newly identified CFAV sequences and other sequences retrieved from GenBank was performed. CFAV stock was inoculated into Ae. aegypti by intrathoracic injection, the survival of parental mosquitoes was monitored and CFAV copies in the whole bodies, ovaries, and carcasses of the injected F0 generation and in the whole bodies of the F1 generation on different days were examined by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

Results: The virus harvested from Aag2 cells comprised a mixture of three CFAV strains. All genome sequences of CFAV derived from Aag2 cells clustered into one clade but were far from those isolated or identified from Ae. aegypti. Aag2-derived CFAV efficiently replicated in the mosquito body and did not attenuate the survival of Ae. aegypti. However, the viral load in the ovarian tissues was much lower than that in other tissues and the virus could not passage to the offspring by vertical transmission.

Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate that Aag2-derived CFAV was not vertically transmitted in Ae. aegypti and provide valuable information on the colonization of mosquitoes by this virus.

Keywords: Aedes aegypti; Cell fusing agent virus; Intrathoracic injection; Vertical transmission.

MeSH terms

Aedes*
Animals
Cell Line
Flavivirus*
Insect Viruses*
Mosquito Vectors
Phylogeny
Zika Virus Infection*
Zika Virus*

Abstract

MeSH terms

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