Small RNA response to infection of the insect-specific Lammi virus and Hanko virus in an Aedes albopictus cell line

The RNA interference (RNAi) mediated antiviral immunity is thought to be the primary defense against viral infection in mosquitoes. Production of virus-specific small RNA have been demonstrated in mosquitoes and mosquito-derived cell lines for viruses in all of the major arbovirus families. However, many if not all mosquitoes are infected with a group of viruses known as insect-specific viruses (ISVs) and the immune response to this group of viruses is unknown. Therefore, we have sequenced small RNA libraries from an Aedes albopictus-derived cell line infected with either Lammi virus (LamV) or Hanko virus (HakV). These viruses belongs to two distinct phylogenetic groups of insect-specific flaviviruses (ISFVs).