Carlos Brito
Proprotein convetases of importance for viral maturation in mosquitoes
Contact Info:Training Group(s):
Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases
Current Research Interests:
Flaviviruses, such as West Nile, Dengue and Zika affect health globally. These viruses are primarily transmitted by mosquitoes; however, the underlying mechanisms that allow mosquitoes to transmit a virus are not well understood. During the life cycle of a flavivirus, it has to attach and enter cells, replicate, assemble and mature. The maturation process is critical for the production of infectious viral particles. Maturation occurs upon cleavage of one of the viral surface proteins, prM. In humans, prM cleavage is carried out by a host protein called furin. Identifying and characterizing the proteins involved in the virus maturation in mosquitoes could provide targets to stop disease transmission. The overall objective of my project is to characterize the factors in the mosquito that are responsible for viral maturation.- Student Profile
