Manipulation of the yellow fever virus non-structural genes 2A and 4B and the 3'non-coding region to evaluate genetic determinants of viral dissemination from the Aedes aegypti midgut.

Although much is known about the ecology, epidemiology, and molecular biology of mosquito-borne viruses, the viral factors that allow transmission by mosquitoes to humans or animals remain unknown. Using infectious clones of disseminating (Asibi) and non-disseminating (17D) yellow fever viruses (YFV), we produced chimeric viruses to evaluate the role of different viral genes in dissemination. Previously, we showed that virus produced from an infectious clone containing the structural genes of 17D in Asibi disseminated from the mosquito midgut at a rate of 31%, indicating that some genetic determinants of dissemination must lie within the non-structural (NS) protein genes or 3' non-coding region (NCR). We chose to investigate the roles of NS2A, NS4B, and the 3'NCR in YFV dissemination. Substitution of the 17D NS2A or NS4B into Asibi significantly attenuated YFV dissemination, demonstrating that this is a multigenic property. There was no difference in dissemination after substitution of the 17D 3'NCR.