Zika virus alters the microRNA expression profile and elicits an RNAi response in Aedes aegpyti mosquitoes

We sequenced the small RNA profiles in ZIKV-infected and non-infected Ae. aegypti mosquitoes at 2, 7 and 14 days post-infection. ZIKV induced an RNAi response in the mosquito with virus-derived short interfering RNAs dramatically increased in abundance post-infection. Further, we found 17 host miRNAs that were modulated by the ZIKV infection at all time points. Overall design: Two-three day old female Aedes aegypti (Galveston strain) mosquitoes were infected with ZIKV (Mex 1-7) at 2 x 10 FFU/ml. At 2, 7 and 14 days post infection total RNA was extracted from infected and non-infected whole mosquitoes using mirVANA RNA extraction kit following the manufacturer's protocol (Life Technologies). Small RNA libraries were created using the New England Biolabs small RNA library protocol (New England Biolabs) at the UTMB's Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Core (Galveston, TX). The purified cDNA libraries were sequenced using the rapid run platform and single end 50 base sequencing by synthesis on an Illumina Hi-Seq 1500 using the TruSeq SBS kit v3.