A plasmid-based reporter system for live cell imaging of dengue infected cells

The University of Rhode Island Faculty have made this article openly available. Please let us know how Open Access to this research benefits you. Terms of Use This article is made available under the terms and conditions applicable towards Open Access Policy Articles, as set forth in our Terms of Use. A plasmid-based reporter system for live cell imaging of dengue virus infected cells, Abstract: 109 words 20 Text: 3560 words 21 22 23 2 Abstract 1 Cell culture models are used widely to study the effects of dengue virus (DENV) 2 on host cell function. Current methods of identification of cells infected with an 3 unmodified DENV requires fixation and permeablization of cells to allow DENV-specific 4 antibody staining. This method does not permit imaging of viable cells over time. In this 5 report, a plasmid-based reporter was developed to allow non-destructive identification of 6 DENV-infected cells. The plasmid-based reporter was demonstrated to be broadly 7 applicable to the four DENV serotypes, including low-passaged strains, and was 8 specifically cleaved by the viral protease with minimal interference on viral production. 9 This study reveals the potential for this novel reporter system to advance the studies of 10 virus-host interactions during DENV infection.