IL17A signaling facilitates Chikungunya virus-induced footpad swelling in mice
Biswas Neupane, Dhiraj Acharya, Gabriel G. Fernandez and Fengwei Bai
Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne alphavirus that has been associated with arthritis and arthralgia, which can cause long-term effects in patients. There is no approved vaccine and specific therapeutics against CHIKV-caused diseases in humans and its pathogenesis is not completely understood. We studied the roles of an inflammatory cytokine interleukin 17A (IL17A) in the pathogenesis of CHIKV in mouse models. Our results indicate that mice that are deficient in IL17A (Il17a-/-) and in IL17A receptor (Il17ra-/-) are relatively resistant to CHIKV-induced symptoms including lower levels of viral burden in blood and footpad swelling compared to wild-type control mice. Further, IL17A supported CHIKV replication in the cells. These results suggest that IL17A signaling contributes CHIKV-induced diseases in mice.