Abstract
Dengue virus infection is mostly asymptotic or produces a mild self-limiting acute febrile illness, dengue fever, or life threatening severe illness, dengue hemorrhagic fever, which is associated with increased vascular permeability in part as the result of elevated matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Herein, we characterized MMP-2 and MMP-9 production in mosquito and mammalian cells after infection with three strains of dengue virus type-2 ranging in virulence: the prototype New Guinea C (NGC), 16681, and PDK-53 vaccine strain to test variations in viral properties in vaccine candidates and confirm the production of MMP as a possible marker for virulence. A zymogram gelatinolytic activity assay was employed to assess MMP-2 and MMP-9 production. We demonstrated that dengue infected mosquito and mammalian cell lines had unique MMP-2 and MMP-9 production patters depending on the virulence of the dengue strain and time after infection. MMP levels were highest after infection with the known virulent strain D2-16681, followed by the prototype NGC strain in both cell lines. The amounts of MMP appeared to correspond with the relative amount of infectious virions produced later in infection. Overall our findings may assist in both understanding dengue pathogenesis and selecting markers to assist in the development of dengue vaccines.
