Multi-peaked adaptive landscape for chikungunya virus evolution predicts continued fitness optimization in Aedes albopictus mosquitoes

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Konstantin Tsetsarkin, University of Texas Medical Branch; Rubing Chen, University of Texas Medical Branch; Ruimei Yun, University of Texas Medical Branch; Shannan L. Rossi, University of Texas Medical Branch; Kenneth S. Plante, University of Texas Medical Branch; Mathilde Guerbois, University of Texas Medical Branch; Naomi Forrester, University of Texas Medical Branch; Guey Perng, Emory University; Easwaran Sreekumar, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology; Grace Leal, University of Texas Medical Branch; Jing Huang, University of Texas Medical Branch; Suchetana Mukhopadhyay, Indiana University; Scott C. Weaver, University of Texas Medical Branch
• Language: English
• Date: 2014-06-01
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms5084
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Nature Communications
• Volume: 5
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 4084
• End Page: 4084
• Grant/Funding Information: Funding for sequencing of sl4 CHIKV strains was provided by the Department of Biotechnology of the Indian government grant No. BT/PR5315/MED/29/476/2012.; This research was supported by the NIH grant AI069145.
• Keywords: Vector; Determinants; Science & Technology - Other Topics; Encephalitis emergence; Adaptation; Multidisciplinary Sciences; Science & Technology; Tiger mosquito; Envelope proteins; Infection; Outbreak; Reemergence; Disease
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Immunology; Health Sciences, Epidemiology; Biology, Microbiology; Biology, Virology

Abstract

Host species-specific fitness landscapes largely determine the outcome of host switching during pathogen emergence. Using chikungunya virus (CHIKV) to study adaptation to a mosquito vector, we evaluated mutations associated with recently evolved sub-lineages. Multiple Aedes albopictus-adaptive fitness peaks became available after CHIKV acquired an initial adaptive (E1-A226V) substitution, permitting rapid lineage diversification observed in nature. All second-step mutations involved replacements by glutamine or glutamic acid of E2 glycoprotein amino acids in the acid-sensitive region, providing a framework to anticipate additional A. albopictus-adaptive mutations. The combination of second-step adaptive mutations into a single, 'super-adaptive' fitness peak also predicted the future emergence of CHIKV strains with even greater transmission efficiency in some current regions of endemic circulation, followed by their likely global spread.