Analysis of viral integrations in the genome of Aedes albopictus

This project investigates an unexplored component of mosquito repeatome. In particular, the distribution and polymorphism of Non-retroviral integrated RNA Virus Sequences (NIRVS) have been analyzed in the genome of the Asian Tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, an extremely relevant arboviral vector of human pathogens like Zika, dengue and chikungunya. Results obtained support the hypothesis of their involvement in mosquito immunity.