Research: Characterization of Innate Immune Sensing of Oropouche Virus in
Trophoblasts Oropouche virus (OROV) is a neglected, emerging arbovirus primarily transmitted by biting midges in Latin America. Though largely underrecognized, OROV causes
recurrent outbreaks of febrile-like illness and poses a growing threat due to
expanding vector ranges, limited surveillance, lack of targeted treatments, and
evidence for vertical transmission. My project investigates the innate immune
mechanisms by which human trophoblasts detect and respond to OROV infection
with the overall goal of identifying antiviral signaling pathways that restrict
replication at the placental barrier and what viral proteins may antagonize these
innate immune responses. Using bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing, I am
characterizing transcriptional responses in infected primary and immortalized
trophoblasts and focusing on the role of PRRs (e.g. RIG-I, MDA5, MAVS, TLR3,
TLR4, and TLR7), interferons, interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), and
inflammatory mediators during OROV infection. Follow-up validation includes
western blots for phosphorylated STAT1, STAT2 and IRF3, immunofluorescent assays, and viral genome sequencing. Overall, this work will provide the first high-
resolution observation of OROV-trophoblast interactions and aims to start defining how the innate immune environment of the placenta modulates OROV
pathogenesis during pregnancy.
