Evolution of Rabies Virus Isolates: Virulence Signatures and Effects of Modulation by Neutralizing Antibodies

Overview

Journal Pathogens

Date 2022 Dec 23

PMID 36558890

Authors

Juliana Amorim Conselheiro

Gisely Toledo Barone

Sueli Akemi Taniwaki Miyagi

Sheila Oliveira de Souza Silva

Washington Carlos Agostinho

Joana Aguiar

Paulo Eduardo Brandao

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

(RABV) is an RNA virus and, therefore, is subject to mutations due to low RNA polymerase replication fidelity, forming a population structure known as a viral quasispecies, which is the core of RNA viruses' adaptive strategy. Under new microenvironmental conditions, the fittest populations are selected, and the study of this process on the molecular level can help determine molecular signatures related to virulence. Our aim was to survey gene signatures on nucleoprotein and glycoprotein genes that might be involved in virulence modulation during the in vitro evolution of RABV lineages after serial passages in a neuronal cell system with or without the presence of neutralizing antibodies based on replicative fitness, in vivo neurotropism and protein structure and dynamics. The experiments revealed that amino acids at positions 186 and 188 of the glycoprotein are virulence factors of , and site 186 specifically might allow the attachment to heparan as a secondary cell receptor, while polymorphism at position 333 might allow the selection of escape mutants under suboptimal neutralizing antibodies titers.

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