BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE OF THE CURRENT STUDY

Viruses have co-evolved with their hosts developing effective approaches to establish a successful infection by hijacking and circumventing the host cellular processes to their own end. A complex network of specific protein-protein interactions is involved at the interface of viral infection and host response; with the host attempting to eradicate the invading viral pathogen, and the pathogen whilst evading the host immune surveillance continues to proliferate. The molecular mechanisms underlying the subversion of cell physiology mediated by viral infection can only be understood by uncovering how viral proteins perturb cellular protein interaction networks. Furthermore, identifying the host proteins targeted by viral proteins during infection provides significant insights into the mechanisms by which the virus manipulates the host and thereby several strategic targets for therapeutic interventions. Chandipura virus (CHPV; Family Rhabdoviridae and genus Vesiculovirus), is an arthropod borne emerging pediatric encephalitic rhabdovirus associated with a number of acute and fatal epidemic outbreaks in the central states of India [1,2]. The 11 kb viral RNA genome codes for five different proteins – Nucleocapsid (N) protein, Phosphoprotein (P), Matrix (M) protein, Glycoprotein (G) and the Large (L) protein – through five different monocistroni