RNA-communication between arboviruses and their hosts

Flaviviruses such as Zika virus, dengue virus and yellow fever virus transmit their RNA genomes between arthropods and humans, causing widespread pathology and death. During infection, the viral RNA genome resides inside the host cells’ cytoplasm. However, whether the viral genome folds differently inside human and arthropod cells, and whether it interacts with the hosts’ own RNA remain largely unexplored. The aim of this proposal is to dissect the dynamics and function of the flaviviral RNA interactome. I will employ my recent developed COMRADES method to investigate the base pairing capacity and function of two related flaviviruses: Zika virus and yellow fever virus, and to address the following little-explored aspects in their biology: (i) Do viral genomes base-pair with host RNAs? What are the roles of host-virus RNA base-pairing? (ii) Do viral genomes base-pair differently inside different hosts? What are the functional implications? The results will cast light on how RNA viruses utilise RNA base-pairing to enhance their replication and pathogenicity; offer new opportunities to develop antiviral therapeutics targeting the host-virus RNA-RNA interactome; and establish a new role for RNA base-paring in zoonosis.