Extended Data Fig. 8: AfuPmV-1M regulates A. fumigatus virulence.
From: Aspergillus fumigatus dsRNA virus promotes fungal fitness and pathogenicity in the mammalian host
a. Survival of C57BL/6 JOlaHsd mice challenged with 6×107 Af293 (n = 10) or virus-cured by ribavirin (VC, n = 10) conidia. P values were calculated using log-rank Mantel–Cox test. b. Relative mRNA expression levels of proinflammatory mediators were assessed via RT-qPCR using total RNA extracted from human-derived macrophages at 6 hpi with the indicated strains. The data are pooled from two independent experimental replicates, normalized to actin expression, and the presented values are relative to the expression levels in naïve macrophages. c-e. C57BL/6 J (c-d) and ICR mice (e) were challenged intranasally with 3×107 Af293, virus-cured by ribavirin, or virus re-infected conidia. C57BL/6 J lung (c) and BALF (d) CFU at 24 hpi. e. ICR lung CFU at 72 hpi. Samples are pooled from 2 independent experimental repetitions. f. Conidial uptake by C57BL/6J neutrophils at 24 hpi. g. Swollen virus-infected (Af293) or cycloheximide virus-cured conidia (4 h) were exposed to 20 µM ribavirin for an additional 4 h and analyzed for CFU. h. Viral load following ribavirin pretreatment. RNA was extracted from Af293 conidia (1.2×109 conidia/mL) following a 4-hour incubation with 20 µM ribavirin or PBS at room temperature. Viral load was assessed by RT-qPCR, measuring relative expression levels of the AfuPmV-1M RdRP gene. Data were analyzed using the 2^−ΔΔCt method, with PBS-treated conidia serving as the control for the corresponding ribavirin-treated samples, and normalized to actA expression as the reference gene. Statistical analysis: (c-e) one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparison test. Error bars indicate standard error around the mean.
