The Effects of Candid#1 on the Autophagy Pathway
Koduvalil, Joshua
Koduvalil, Joshua
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Abstract
Pathogenic strains of Jun�n mammarenavirus (JUNV) have been shown to induce autophagy that supports viral replication. We investigated how Candid #1, the live attenuated vaccine strain of JUNV interacts with the autophagy pathway. We show that Candid #1 infection induces autophagy but blocks the final step of the pathway. This is observed with the accumulation of LC3-II and the autophagy cargo receptor p62. These changes between uninfected and infected cells are visualized with a quantitative Western Blot to examine the amount of the autophagic proteins in each sample. Analysis utilizing an fluorescent LC3-GFP-mCherry tandem reporter also reveals a failure to complete autophagic degradation, particularly at the fusion of autophagosome with the lysosome. Furthermore, when the autophagic process was externally stimulated during active Candid #1 infection, viral propagation is suppressed, suggesting an anti-viral effect of autophagy. Together these observations demonstrate that Candid#1 disrupts the complete autophagy pathway, possibly to evade the anti-viral effects of autophagy. This contrasts with the pro-autophagy methods used by the virulent JUNV strains. These differences in autophagy modulation could contribute to the attenuated nature of the vaccine strain and provide insight into host-virus interactions involved in JUNV.
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Date
1/1/2026
Student Status
Junior (Graduating in 2027)
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Poster
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Biochemistry
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College of Arts and Sciences
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Life Science