Determinants of Pegivirus persistence, cross-species infection, and adaptation in the laboratory mouse

Viruses capable of causing persistent infection have developed sophisticated mechanisms for evading host immunity, and understanding these processes can reveal novel features of the host immune system. One such virus, human pegivirus (HPgV), infects ~15% of the global human population, but little is known about its biology beyond the fact that it does not cause overt disease. We passaged a pegivirus isolate of feral brown rats (RPgV) in immunodeficient laboratory mice to develop a mouse-adapted virus (maPgV) that established spontaneous persistent life-long infection in a majority of normal lab mice. maRPgV viremia was detected in the blood of mice for >300 days without apparent disease, closely recapitulating the hallmarks of chronic HPgV infection in humans. We found a pro-viral role for type-I interferon in chronic infection; a lack of PD-1-mediated tolerance to PgV infection; and multiple mechanisms by which PgV immunity can be achieved by an immunocompetent host. These data indi..., , , # Determinants of Pegivirus persistence, cross-species infection, and adaptation in the laboratory mouse

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.h44j0zpv6](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.h44j0zpv6)

Each tab in the .csv file corresponds to the data from a figure in the corresponding manuscript. RPgV= rat pegivirus; maPgV= mouse-adapted PgV; DPI= days post infection; gc= genome copies; All blank cells are left intentionally blank. 

Figure 1B: Serum RPgV viral load (log10-transformed gc/mL of serum) in mice with different genetic backgrounds over time.

Figure 1C: Serum RPgV viral load (log10-transformed gc/mL of serum) in mice with additional genetic backgrounds over time.

Figure 2: Serum maPgV viral load (log10-transformed gc/mL of serum) in mice infected via different doses and by different routes.

Figure 3: Whole-genome sequencing of RPgV during adaptation to mice. Red bars show the frequency of non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs); blue bars show the frequency of synonym...