2024
Aedes aegypti adiponectin receptor-like protein signaling facilitates Zika virus infection
Chen T, Marín-López A, Raduwan H, Fikrig E. Aedes aegypti adiponectin receptor-like protein signaling facilitates Zika virus infection. MBio 2024, 15: e02433-24. PMID: 39373507, PMCID: PMC11559040, DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02433-24.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchReceptor-like proteinZika virus infectionVirus infectionDevelopment of effective control strategiesSignificant public health challengeTranscriptome analysisTrypsin genesMetabolic pathwaysProtein signalingPublic health challengeViral infectionTransmission of viral diseasesAedes aegypti</i>InfectionBlood digestionZika virusProteinSignificance of signalsComplex interactionsVirusEffective control strategiesViral diseasesZikaMosquitoesPathwayBacterial reprogramming of tick metabolism impacts vector fitness and susceptibility to infection
Samaddar S, Rolandelli A, O’Neal A, Laukaitis-Yousey H, Marnin L, Singh N, Wang X, Butler L, Rangghran P, Kitsou C, Cabrera Paz F, Valencia L, R. Ferraz C, Munderloh U, Khoo B, Cull B, Rosche K, Shaw D, Oliver J, Narasimhan S, Fikrig E, Pal U, Fiskum G, Polster B, Pedra J. Bacterial reprogramming of tick metabolism impacts vector fitness and susceptibility to infection. Nature Microbiology 2024, 9: 2278-2291. PMID: 38997520, DOI: 10.1038/s41564-024-01756-0.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMetabolic reprogrammingInfection of tick cellsInvestigate metabolic reprogrammingTick cellsLyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferiSusceptibility to infectionArthropod-borne pathogensMetabolomics approachRickettsia buchneriHuman pathogensMetabolite allocationDiminished survivalBacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilumSpirochete Borrelia burgdorferiAcid metabolismA. phagocytophilum infectionInterspecies relationshipsElevated levelsInfectionFeeding impairmentHuman granulocytic anaplasmosisMetabolic responseArthropod vectorsI. scapularisPathogens
2023
Signaling between mammalian adiponectin and a mosquito adiponectin receptor reduces Plasmodium transmission
Chuang Y, Stone H, Abouneameh S, Tang X, Fikrig E. Signaling between mammalian adiponectin and a mosquito adiponectin receptor reduces Plasmodium transmission. MBio 2023, 15: e02257-23. PMID: 38078744, PMCID: PMC10790699, DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02257-23.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchBlood mealComplex life cycleMosquito fitnessMammalian hostsMammalian adiponectinPathogen infectivityLipid transportersVertebrate hostsAdiponectin receptorsHematophagous arthropodsFemale mosquitoesPlasmodium transmissionLife cycleMosquitoesImportant lipid transporterPathwayHostInfectious agentsVector-borne infectious agentsArthropodsAdiponectinReceptorsInfectionTransportersMealFrankenbacteriosis targeting interactions between pathogen and symbiont to control infection in the tick vector
Mazuecos L, Alberdi P, Hernández-Jarguín A, Contreras M, Villar M, Cabezas-Cruz A, Simo L, González-García A, Díaz-Sánchez S, Neelakanta G, Bonnet S, Fikrig E, de la Fuente J. Frankenbacteriosis targeting interactions between pathogen and symbiont to control infection in the tick vector. IScience 2023, 26: 106697. PMID: 37168564, PMCID: PMC10165458, DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106697.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchHuman granulocytic anaplasmosisPathogen infection/transmissionTick-borne pathogensTick-borne diseasesInfection/transmissionTick vectorGranulocytic anaplasmosisWildtype populationTick microbiotaPathogensModel pathogenTransovarialAnaplasmosisMSP4TicksAssociated reductionCompetitionLarvaeDisease riskParatransgenesisSymbiontsInfectionCommensal bacteriaBacteriaControlMalaria: influence of Anopheles mosquito saliva on Plasmodium infection
Arora G, Chuang Y, Sinnis P, Dimopoulos G, Fikrig E. Malaria: influence of Anopheles mosquito saliva on Plasmodium infection. Trends In Immunology 2023, 44: 256-265. PMID: 36964020, PMCID: PMC10074230, DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2023.02.005.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAnopheles salivaPlasmodium infectionInfected female mosquitoesMosquito salivary proteinsLocal host responseComponents of salivaMosquito salivaTherapeutic strategiesHost responsePlasmodium sporozoitesVector salivaPlasmodium protozoaBlood vesselsSalivaFemale mosquitoesBlood mealAnopheline mosquitoesInfectionMalariaVector-borne diseasesSkinHost-pathogen interactionsSporozoitesSalivary proteinsMosquitoes
2022
Erratum to “AgBR1 and NeSt1 antisera protect mice from Aedes aegypti-borne Zika infection” [Vaccine 39(12) (2021) 1675–1679]
Marin-Lopez A, Wang Y, Jiang J, Ledizet M, Fikrig E. Erratum to “AgBR1 and NeSt1 antisera protect mice from Aedes aegypti-borne Zika infection” [Vaccine 39(12) (2021) 1675–1679]. Vaccine 2022, 40: 5404-5405. PMID: 35907678, DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.05.024.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchUse of host lipids by the Lyme disease spirochete may lead to biomarkers
Arora G, Hart T, Fikrig E. Use of host lipids by the Lyme disease spirochete may lead to biomarkers. Journal Of Clinical Investigation 2022, 132: e158254. PMID: 35289311, PMCID: PMC8920323, DOI: 10.1172/jci158254.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsB. burgdorferi infectionLyme diseaseBurgdorferi infectionCareful clinical assessmentCommon tick-borne diseaseAnti-lipid antibodiesProduction of antibodiesTick-borne diseaseHost lipidsAntibody titersLyme disease agent Borrelia burgdorferiClinical assessmentCurrent biomarkersMurine modelDiseaseSerum samplesLyme disease spirocheteAntibodiesBorrelia burgdorferiInfectionBiomarkersPatientsLipidsSyphilisPhosphatidic acid
2021
Immunomodulation by Mosquito Salivary Protein AgSAP Contributes to Early Host Infection by Plasmodium
Arora G, Sajid A, Chuang YM, Dong Y, Gupta A, Gambardella K, DePonte K, Almeras L, Dimopolous G, Fikrig E. Immunomodulation by Mosquito Salivary Protein AgSAP Contributes to Early Host Infection by Plasmodium. MBio 2021, 12: e03091-21. PMID: 34903042, PMCID: PMC8669493, DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03091-21.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsLocal inflammatory responsePlasmodium berghei sporozoitesSalivary antigensInflammatory responseBerghei sporozoitesPlasmodium falciparumMosquito salivary proteinsPrevention of malariaLocal host responseAnopheline mosquitoesVertebrate hostsHost responseSaliva secretionVaccine developmentMalariaEpidemiological analysisGenerate antibodiesAntigenArthropod salivaDisease prevalenceInfectionSaliva componentsSporozoitesVector-borne diseasesDiseaseThe 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 pathwaysTicksInfectionA Mosquito AgTRIO Monoclonal Antibody Reduces Early Plasmodium Infection of Mice
Chuang YM, Tang XD, Fikrig E. A Mosquito AgTRIO Monoclonal Antibody Reduces Early Plasmodium Infection of Mice. Infection And Immunity 2021, 90: e00359-21. PMID: 34724388, PMCID: PMC8788779, DOI: 10.1128/iai.00359-21.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMonoclonal antibodiesFuture malaria vaccinesInfection of miceIsotype monoclonal antibodyVector antigensProtective immunityPassive immunizationMalaria vaccinePlasmodium infectionPassive transferProtein monoclonal antibodySignificant protectionSynergistic protectionMiceInfectionAntibodiesFc regionAntiserumVertebrate hostsProtein TrioImmunizationVaccineMalariaAntigenImmunityAgBR1 and NeSt1 antisera protect mice from Aedes aegypti-borne Zika infection
Marin-Lopez A, Wang Y, Jiang J, Ledizet M, Fikrig E. AgBR1 and NeSt1 antisera protect mice from Aedes aegypti-borne Zika infection. Vaccine 2021, 39: 1675-1679. PMID: 33622591, PMCID: PMC7990057, DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.01.072.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMosquito saliva proteinsPassive immunizationZIKV infectionEarly host responseDiverse clinical symptomsViral burdenSaliva proteinsClinical symptomsVaccine strategiesZika infectionHost responseModel antigenInfectionPartial protectionMiceImmunizationZIKVAntiserumIndividual antiseraAgBR1ViremiaSymptomsAntigenBloodAntibodies
2020
A human secretome library screen reveals a role for Peptidoglycan Recognition Protein 1 in Lyme borreliosis
Gupta A, Arora G, Rosen CE, Kloos Z, Cao Y, Cerny J, Sajid A, Hoornstra D, Golovchenko M, Rudenko N, Munderloh U, Hovius JW, Booth CJ, Jacobs-Wagner C, Palm NW, Ring AM, Fikrig E. A human secretome library screen reveals a role for Peptidoglycan Recognition Protein 1 in Lyme borreliosis. PLOS Pathogens 2020, 16: e1009030. PMID: 33175909, PMCID: PMC7657531, DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009030.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPeptidoglycan recognition protein 1B. burgdorferi infectionB. burgdorferiBurgdorferi infectionHost responseLow serum IgG levelsCommon vector-borne illnessDiverse host responsesSerum IgG levelsProtein 1Vector-borne illnessImmune dysregulationIgG levelsBorreliacidal activityBurgdorferi sensu latoHuman extracellular proteinsSpirochete burdenTick biteB. burgdorferi sensu latoSpirochete Borrelia burgdorferiNervous systemLyme borreliosisLyme diseaseInfectionBorrelia burgdorferiMacrophage scavenger receptor 1 controls Chikungunya virus infection through autophagy in mice
Yang L, Geng T, Yang G, Ma J, Wang L, Ketkar H, Yang D, Lin T, Hwang J, Zhu S, Wang Y, Dai J, You F, Cheng G, Vella AT, Flavell RA, Fikrig E, Wang P. Macrophage scavenger receptor 1 controls Chikungunya virus infection through autophagy in mice. Communications Biology 2020, 3: 556. PMID: 33033362, PMCID: PMC7545163, DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01285-6.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMacrophage scavenger receptor 1Scavenger receptor 1Chikungunya virusReceptor 1Antiviral roleType I IFN responseChikungunya virus infectionLow-density lipoproteinImportant antiviral roleI IFN responseMarkers of autophagyCHIKV infectionViral loadArthritogenic alphavirusesVirus infectionCHIKV replicationATG5-ATG12Antiviral actionKnockout miceMSR1 expressionIFN responseInfectionMiceNsp1 proteinAutophagic functionTRiC/CCT Complex, a Binding Partner of NS1 Protein, Supports the Replication of Zika Virus in Both Mammalians and Mosquitoes
Wang Y, Uraki R, Hwang J, Fikrig E. TRiC/CCT Complex, a Binding Partner of NS1 Protein, Supports the Replication of Zika Virus in Both Mammalians and Mosquitoes. Viruses 2020, 12: 519. PMID: 32397176, PMCID: PMC7290343, DOI: 10.3390/v12050519.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsZika virusZIKV replicationZIKV NS1 proteinGuillain-Barré syndromeNS1 proteinTRiC/CCT complexPromising therapeutic targetZIKV infectionCongenital microcephalySpecific treatmentTherapeutic targetHost factorsVirusMosquitoesSyndromeVaccineSymptomsInfectionMicrocephalyProteinReplicationImportant roleVaccination with Aedes aegypti AgBR1 Delays Lethal Mosquito-Borne Zika Virus Infection in Mice
Wang Y, Marin-Lopez A, Jiang J, Ledizet M, Fikrig E. Vaccination with Aedes aegypti AgBR1 Delays Lethal Mosquito-Borne Zika Virus Infection in Mice. Vaccines 2020, 8: 145. PMID: 32218189, PMCID: PMC7348886, DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8020145.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchZika virusZIKV infectionGuillain-Barre syndromeMosquito salivary proteinsZika virus infectionNeurological complicationsAcute illnessFetal microcephalyPassive immunizationActive immunizationAsymptomatic infectionInflammatory responseAedes aegypti mosquitoesVirus infectionBite siteInfectionAegypti mosquitoesImmunizationMiceSalivary proteinsAgBR1MosquitoesComplicationsHeadacheVaccination
2019
Protective Immunity and New Vaccines for Lyme Disease
Gomes-Solecki M, Arnaboldi PM, Backenson PB, Benach JL, Cooper CL, Dattwyler RJ, Diuk-Wasser M, Fikrig E, Hovius JW, Laegreid W, Lundberg U, Marconi RT, Marques AR, Molloy P, Narasimhan S, Pal U, Pedra JHF, Plotkin S, Rock DL, Rosa P, Telford SR, Tsao J, Yang XF, Schutzer SE. Protective Immunity and New Vaccines for Lyme Disease. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2019, 70: 1768-1773. PMID: 31620776, PMCID: PMC7155782, DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciz872.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsLyme diseaseCommon tick-borne illnessTick-borne illnessB. burgdorferi infectionBorrelia burgdorferi sensu latoMechanism of actionDirect vaccinationB. burgdorferi proteinsProtective immunityBurgdorferi sensu latoVaccination strategiesBurgdorferi infectionFirst vaccineImmune pathwaysNew vaccinesNumber of casesTick immunityDiseaseVaccineB. burgdorferiHuman hostTick proteinsInfectionImmunityPathogen transmissionPolymicrobial Nature of Tick-Borne Diseases
Sanchez-Vicente S, Tagliafierro T, Coleman J, Benach J, Tokarz R, Azad A, Fikrig E, Munderloh U, Telford S. Polymicrobial Nature of Tick-Borne Diseases. MBio 2019, 10: e02055-19. PMID: 31506314, PMCID: PMC6737246, DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02055-19.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPolymicrobial infectionsClinical spectrumTick-borne diseasesFatal infectionPowassan virusDisproportionate incidenceTick-borne diseaseDifficult diagnosisNew pathogensNew agentsPolymicrobial natureDisease severityInfectionDiseaseLyme diseasePrevalent pathogenBorreliaHigh rateIncidenceDiagnosisSeverityRickettsiaTick vectorVirusClimate changeAnopheles gambiae Lacking AgTRIO Inefficiently Transmits Plasmodium berghei to Mice
Chuang YM, Freudzon M, Yang J, Dong Y, Dimopoulos G, Fikrig E. Anopheles gambiae Lacking AgTRIO Inefficiently Transmits Plasmodium berghei to Mice. Infection And Immunity 2019, 87: 10.1128/iai.00326-19. PMID: 31285253, PMCID: PMC6704594, DOI: 10.1128/iai.00326-19.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsBite siteControl mosquitoesMosquito salivary proteinsInfectivity of sporozoitesMosquito salivary glandsProinflammation cytokinesSporozoite infectionRNA interference-mediated silencingPlasmodium bergheiMiceSalivary glandsSporozoitesTNFExpression of genesMosquitoesSalivary proteinsBurdenExpressionVertebrate hostsSplenocytesCytokinesInfectionCell adhesionLiverBergheiBorrelia miyamotoi infection leads to cross-reactive antibodies to the C6 peptide in mice and men
Koetsveld J, Platonov A, Kuleshov K, Wagemakers A, Hoornstra D, Ang W, Szekeres S, van Duijvendijk G, Fikrig E, Embers M, Sprong H, Hovius J. Borrelia miyamotoi infection leads to cross-reactive antibodies to the C6 peptide in mice and men. Clinical Microbiology And Infection 2019, 26: 513.e1-513.e6. PMID: 31404672, DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2019.07.026.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCross-reactive antibodiesC6 peptideEnzyme immunoassayLyme borreliosisBorrelia miyamotoi infectionBMD patientsExperimental murine infectionC6 enzyme immunoassayAvailable immunoblotNegative immunoblotMiyamotoi infectionTick bitePatient seraMurine infectionPatientsReactivity testingInfectionVlsE proteinBorrelia miyamotoiBorrelia burgdorferiMiceAgBR1 antibodies delay lethal Aedes aegypti-borne West Nile virus infection in mice
Uraki R, Hastings AK, Brackney DE, Armstrong PM, Fikrig E. AgBR1 antibodies delay lethal Aedes aegypti-borne West Nile virus infection in mice. Npj Vaccines 2019, 4: 23. PMID: 31312526, PMCID: PMC6614468, DOI: 10.1038/s41541-019-0120-x.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchWest Nile virus infectionWest Nile virusVirus infectionInfected Aedes aegypti mosquitoesZika virus pathogenesisMosquito salivary proteinsViral loadAedes aegypti mosquitoesLethal infectionVirus pathogenesisSevere diseaseInfectionNile virusAegypti mosquitoesMiceAntibodiesSalivary proteinsMosquitoesMeningoencephalitisPathogenesisAgBR1Disease