2021
The Lyme Disease agent co-opts adiponectin receptor-mediated signaling in its arthropod vector
Tang X, Cao Y, Arora G, Hwang J, Sajid A, Brown CL, Mehta S, Marín-López A, Chuang YM, Wu MJ, Ma H, Pal U, Narasimhan S, Fikrig E. The Lyme Disease agent co-opts adiponectin receptor-mediated signaling in its arthropod vector. ELife 2021, 10: e72568. PMID: 34783654, PMCID: PMC8639152, DOI: 10.7554/elife.72568.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsReceptor-mediated signalingAdiponectin receptorsAdiponectinLyme disease agentLyme disease spirochetePhospholipid metabolismPhosphatidylserine synthase ITick gutReceptor-like proteinMammalian homeostasisArthropod vectorsDisease agentsRNAi assaysRNA interferenceAlternative pathwaySynthase IPathwayMetabolic pathwaysTicksInfection
2017
Tick Bioactive Molecules as Novel Therapeutics: Beyond Vaccine Targets
Murfin KE, Fikrig E. Tick Bioactive Molecules as Novel Therapeutics: Beyond Vaccine Targets. Frontiers In Cellular And Infection Microbiology 2017, 7: 222. PMID: 28634573, PMCID: PMC5459892, DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2017.00222.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2016
A novel mosquito ubiquitin targets viral envelope protein for degradation and reduces virion production during dengue virus infection
Troupin A, Londono-Renteria B, Conway MJ, Cloherty E, Jameson S, Higgs S, Vanlandingham DL, Fikrig E, Colpitts TM. A novel mosquito ubiquitin targets viral envelope protein for degradation and reduces virion production during dengue virus infection. Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta 2016, 1860: 1898-1909. PMID: 27241849, PMCID: PMC4949077, DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2016.05.033.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsProtein degradationUbiquitin proteinGene expressionProtein expression constructsSite-directed mutagenesisViral protein degradationInnate immune signalingDengue virusProteasomal degradationProtein interactionsExpression constructsMosquito cellsSignificant human diseaseMicroarray analysisImmune signalingViral envelope proteinsVirus infectionHuman diseasesBlood feedingAmino acidsProteinMultiple functionsQRT-PCRVirion productionAntiviral function
2014
Immune Markers Associated with Host Susceptibility to Infection with West Nile Virus
Qian F, Thakar J, Yuan X, Nolan M, Murray KO, Lee WT, Wong SJ, Meng H, Fikrig E, Kleinstein SH, Montgomery RR. Immune Markers Associated with Host Susceptibility to Infection with West Nile Virus. Viral Immunology 2014, 27: 39-47. PMID: 24605787, PMCID: PMC3949440, DOI: 10.1089/vim.2013.0074.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsWest Nile virusSevere infectionsImmune markersIL-4IL-4 levelsSerum cytokine levelsSerum IL-4Nile virusSignificant risk factorsImmune system statusPeripheral blood cellsSevere neurological diseaseCytokine levelsAntibody levelsImmune statusRisk factorsHealthy subjectsStratified cohortWNV infectionNeurological diseasesInfectionAltered expression levelsBlood cellsAltered gene expression patternsHost susceptibility
2011
Alterations in the Aedes aegypti Transcriptome during Infection with West Nile, Dengue and Yellow Fever Viruses
Colpitts TM, Cox J, Vanlandingham DL, Feitosa FM, Cheng G, Kurscheid S, Wang P, Krishnan MN, Higgs S, Fikrig E. Alterations in the Aedes aegypti Transcriptome during Infection with West Nile, Dengue and Yellow Fever Viruses. PLOS Pathogens 2011, 7: e1002189. PMID: 21909258, PMCID: PMC3164632, DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1002189.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGene expressionDiverse cellular processesPupal cuticle proteinsExpression of genesMosquito gene expressionYellow fever virusFlaviviral infectionsMosquito genesCuticle proteinsCellular processesBioinformatics analysisMosquito cellsExpression profilesMicroarray analysisDDR genesMetabolic processesHuman diseasesGenesTranscriptomic signaturesWest NileFever virusPeptidase activityWNV envelope proteinTranscriptomeAedes aegypti mosquitoes