Dantrolene hinders dengue virus-induced upregulation and translocation of calmodulin to cardiac cell nuclei.

Dengue virus (DENV) infection elevates intracellular Ca concentration ([Ca]), but it is unknown whether Ca and calmodulin (CaM) are involved in DENV infection. We conducted immunofluorescence and western blot experiments and measured [Ca] examining the effects of DENV infection and drugs that alter Ca/CaM functions on CaM translocation, DENV2 infection, protein expression, virus-inducible STAT2 protein abundance, and CREB phosphorylation in H9c2 cells. DENV infection increased CaM expression, its nuclear translocation and NS3 and E viral proteins expression and colocalization in a manner that could be blocked by the ryanodine receptor antagonist dantrolene.

The Regulation of Flavivirus Infection by Hijacking Exosome-Mediated Cell-Cell Communication: New Insights on Virus-Host Interactions.

The arthropod-borne flaviviruses are important human pathogens, and a deeper understanding of the virus-host cell interaction is required to identify cellular targets that can be used as therapeutic candidates. It is well reported that the flaviviruses hijack several cellular functions, such as exosome-mediated cell communication during infection, which is modulated by the delivery of the exosomal cargo of pro- or antiviral molecules to the receiving host cells. Therefore, to study the role of exosomes during flavivirus infections is essential, not only to understand its relevance in virus-host interaction, but also to identify molecular factors that may contribute to the development of new strategies to block these viral infections.

The role of anti-flavivirus humoral immune response in protection and pathogenesis.

Flavivirus infections are a public health threat in the world that requires the development of safe and effective vaccines. Therefore, the understanding of the anti-flavivirus humoral immune response is fundamental to future studies on flavivirus pathogenesis and the design of anti-flavivirus therapeutics. This review aims to provide an overview of the current understanding of the function and involvement of flavivirus proteins in the humoral immune response as well as the ability of the anti-envelope (anti-E) antibodies to interfere (neutralizing antibodies) or not (non-neutralizing antibodies) with viral infection, and how they can, in some circumstances enhance dengue virus infection on Fc gamma receptor (FcγR) bearing cells through a mechanism known as antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE).

Isolation and characterization of exosomes released from mosquito cells infected with dengue virus.

Exosomes are endocytic origin small-membrane vesicles secreted to the extracellular space by most cell types. Exosomes released from virus infected-cells can mediate the cell-to-cell communication to promote or modulate viral transmission. Dengue virus (DENV) is an arbovirus transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes bite to humans.

Ezetimibe inhibits dengue virus infection in Huh-7 cells by blocking the cholesterol transporter Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 receptor.

Despite the importance of Dengue virus (DENV) infection in human health, there is not a fully effective vaccine or antiviral treatment against the infection. Since lipids such as cholesterol are required during DENV infection, its uptake and synthesis are increased in infected cells. Ezetimibe is an FDA-approved drug that reduces cholesterol uptake by inhibiting the endocytosis through Niemman-Pick C1-Like 1 (NPC1L1) receptor, expressed on the membrane of enterocytes and hepatocytes.