Exploiting a genome defense mechanism to inhibit virus transmission by mosquitoes

The mosquito is considered the most dangerous animal on earth because of the large disease burden caused by mosquito-borne pathogens, which include viruses like dengue, Zika and chikungunya. The DNA of these mosquitoes contains pieces of genetic material from RNA viruses, called endogenous viral elements (EVEs). EVEs are thought to be an archive of past viral infections, having the potential to silence future invaders by mobilizing the PIWI-interacting (pi)RNA pathway. In this project, researchers aim to artificially generate an EVE memory record and thereby trigger antiviral immunity against new virus infections, eventually leading to new approaches to disrupt virus transmission.