Conserved Sequences from Dengue Virus Genomes Form Stable G-Quadruplexes.

Arthropod-borne members of the genus cause significant human disease. Four serotypes of dengue virus are endemic globally, and approximately 50 percent of the world's population lives in a dengue-affected area. Complications from immunoenhancement occurring after a secondary infection with a different dengue serotype make vaccine development challenging.

Presence of dengue virus RNA in urine and oral fluid of laboratory-confirmed dengue patients: Implications for wastewater surveillance.

Introduction: Dengue cases in the Americas in 2024 have reached record highs, especially in Brazil. However, surveillance remains suboptimal and new methods are needed to monitor Dengue Virus (DENV) spread. To assess whether wastewater-based epidemiology would be a useful tool, we investigated the presence of DENV RNA in dengue patients' urine and oral fluid from an endemic area to inform how shedding in these fluids occurs and provide insight for wastewater surveillance.

Structure of an RNA G-quadruplex from the West Nile virus genome.

Potential G-quadruplex sites have been identified in the genomes of DNA and RNA viruses and proposed as regulatory elements. The genus Orthoflavivirus contains arthropod-transmitted, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA viruses that cause significant human disease globally. Computational studies have identified multiple potential G-quadruplex sites that are conserved across members of this genus.

mRNA-encoded Cas13 can be used to treat dengue infections in mice.

Dengue is a major global health threat, and there are no approved antiviral agents. Prior research using Cas13 only demonstrated dengue mitigation in vitro. Here we demonstrate that systemic delivery of mRNA-encoded Cas13a and guide RNAs formulated in lipid nanoparticles can be used to treat dengue virus (DENV) 2 and 3 in mice.

Ectopic expression of murine CD163 enables cell-culture isolation of lactate dehydrogenase-elevating virus 63 years after its discovery.

Mouse models of viral infection play an especially large role in virology. In 1960, a mouse virus, lactate dehydrogenase-elevating virus (LDV), was discovered and found to have the peculiar ability to evade clearance by the immune system, enabling it to persistently infect an individual mouse for its entire lifespan without causing overt disease. However, researchers were unable to grow LDV in culture, ultimately resulting in the demise of this system as a model of failed immunity.