Suzanne Carpe Elias
Program: Unspecified
Current advisor:
Undergraduate university: Trinity College-Connecticut
Research summary
Flaviviruses, such as yellow fever virus (YFV), are important human pathogens transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes. Despite their global health impact, the molecular mechanisms that determine how these viruses infect cells are not completely understood.
Viruses rely on host cell surface receptors to enter and establish infection. Identifying these receptors in mosquitoes can improve our understanding of viral infection and reveal potential targets to reduce transmission. Previous research in the Diamond Lab has shown that the mosquito receptor lipophorin-1 receptor, the ortholog of the vertebrate very-low-density lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR), enhances YFV infection when expressed in mammalian cells. Additionally, a soluble decoy form of lipophorin-1 receptor can inhibit YFV infection. These findings suggest that lipophorin-1 receptor plays a direct role in viral entry during mosquito YFV infection.
Building on these results, my project focused on generating YFV reporter virus particles (RVPs)—replication-incompetent virus particles—to assess YFV infection under BSL-2 conditions. Then, I characterized related lipophorin receptors from mosquito species relevant to YFV transmission, including Aedes albopictus, by cloning and expressing these receptors in mammalian cell lines and testing their ability to mediate infection with YFV RVPs. Additionally, I knocked down lipophorin-1 receptor in a mosquito cell line to determine whether its absence reduced YFV infection. By investigating whether these receptors support infection by YFV, we aim to better understand the mechanisms used by flaviviruses to infect cells and any potential ways to modulate infection.
Graduate publications