The activity of Aurora kinase B is required for dengue virus release

Flaviviruses, such as Dengue (DENV), Zika, Yellow Fever, Japanese Encephalitis and West Nile are important pathogens with high morbidity and mortality. The last estimation indicates that ∼390 millions of people are infected by DENV per year. The DENV replicative cycle occurs mainly in the cytoplasm of the infected cells and different cytoplasmic, nuclear and mitochondrial proteins participate in viral replication. In this paper we analyzed the participation of Aurora kinase B (AurKB) in the DENV replicative cycle using the specific AurKB inhibitor ZM 447439. The kinase inhibition does not alter the viral protein production/secretion or genome replication but impaired the viral yield without altering the percentage of infected cells. Moreover, confocal microscopy analysis of DENV-infected ZM 447439-treated cells show a delocalization of viral components from the replicative complexes. In summary, these observations indicate that AurKB participates in DENV viral morphogenesis or release.