Bio:
I am a 3rd year PhD. student currently working on the mosquito
Aedes aegypti innate immune responses to dengue virus. My
research focuses on elucidating the temporal/spatial responses
that are implicated in limiting the establishment of a
transmissible infection in the mosquito and potential effects
of
infection on hemocytes and fat body.
My research interest
are on vector-pathogen interactions aimed at the elucidation of
novel mechanism to halt pathogen transmission.
Current research:
Spatial and temporal Ae. aegypti innate immune
responses to dengue virus infection
In our previous experimental assays we have demonstrated the
implication of the Toll pathway in controlling dengue virus (Xi
et al. 2008 PLoS-Pathogens) 7 day after feeding on an infectious
blood meal. These results have been observed in both the lab
strain Ae. aegypti Rockefeller as well as in two other
field-derived Ae. aegypti strains (Fig. 1).
Furthermore, the Toll pathway was observed to be induced by
dengue virus already at 72h post-infection. We observed a
detrimental effect of Cactus silencing but not Caspar knockdown
on virus infection (Fig. 2), similar results than those obtained
at 7d PBM. Also, a time course analysis of three
dengue-responsive immune effector genes (Cecropin, Defensin and
Lysozyme) shows differential expression in infected Ae.
aegypti.
