Clinical Microbiology: Open Access

Caenorhabditis elegans-Orsay virus interaction: Infection dynamics, and genetic architecture of susceptibility

3^rd International Conference on Clinical Microbiology & Microbial Genomics

September 24-26, 2014 Valencia Convention Centre, Spain

Yahya Z A Gaafar, Mark G Sterken, Joost A G Riksen, Jaap Bakker and Jan E Kammenga

Accepted Abstracts: Clin Microbial

Abstract:

Caenorhabditis elegans-Orsay virus (OrV) is a powerful model system to study the factors on both sides of the host-virus interaction. This new system can be further explored to deepen our understanding of this interaction on the molecular, organism and population levels. The present study investigated the dynamics of OrV infection in C. elegans. The viral RNA replication dynamics was explored in four wild isolates JU1511, JU1926, JU1931 and JU1941 using RT-qPCR. The time-series experiment revealed three distinct phases; lag, log and stationary. The four wild isolates differed in their viral load dynamics. After 20 hrs post-infection all had similar infection levels of OrV. The infected wild isolates JU1511, JU1926 and JU1941 expressed reduction in the brood size and/or delay in the progeny production. Moreover, introgression lines (ILs) derived from N2 and CB4856 strains were used to identify loci regulating antiviral resistance and revealed a QTL that prevents the delay in progeny production under OrV infection between 151, 889 bp and 9,102,404 bp on chromosome IV.

Biography :

Yahya Z A Gaafar is a Master student in the European Master of Science in Nematology (EUMAINE). He has a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Sciences (major Biotechnology) from Cairo University. He has experience in molecular biology, virology and nematology.