Article
Neurosciences
Himali Arora, Bharat Prajapati, Pankaj Seth
Summary: Zika virus infection during early pregnancy leads to Congenital Zika Syndrome, affecting fetal brain development and causing microcephaly. This study investigates the molecular mechanisms of cellular changes in human neural progenitor cells (hNPCs) caused by ZIKV E-protein. The findings suggest that ZIKV E-protein causes cell cycle arrest, decreased proliferation, prolonged mitotic length in hNPCs, disrupts their migrational properties, and increases inflammation.
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Juliana Minardi Nascimento, Danielle Gouvea-Junqueira, Giuliana S. Zuccoli, Carolina da Silva Gouveia Pedrosa, Caroline Brandao-Teles, Fernanda Crunfli, Andre S. L. M. Antunes, Juliana S. Cassoli, Karina Karmirian, Jose Alexandre Salerno, Gabriela Fabiano de Souza, Stefanie Primon Muraro, Jose Luiz Proenca-Modena, Luiza M. Higa, Amilcar Tanuri, Patricia P. Garcez, Stevens K. Rehen, Daniel Martins-de-Souza
Summary: This study investigates the proteomic alterations induced by the Brazilian and African strains of Zika virus as well as the molecular responses to dengue virus. The results reveal that both Zika virus and dengue virus lead to biological effects such as cell death, cell cycle dysregulation, and neurogenesis.
MOLECULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Eric Osoro, Irene Inwani, Cyrus Mugo, Elizabeth Hunsperger, Jennifer R. Verani, Victor Omballa, Dalton Wamalwa, Chulwoo Rhee, Ruth Nduati, John Kinuthia, Hafsa Jin, Lydia Okutoyi, Dufton Mwaengo, Brian Maugo, Nancy A. Otieno, Harriet Mirieri, Mufida Shabibi, Peninah Munyua, M. Kariuki Njenga, Marc-Alain Widdowson
Summary: The incidence of Zika virus infection was high in a pregnancy cohort in coastal Kenya, but there was little evidence of Zika virus transmission. The prevalence of severe microcephaly among newborns was higher compared to estimates from facility-based studies in Europe and Latin America.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andrew Kodani, Kristeene A. Knopp, Elizabeth Di Lullo, Hanna Retallack, Arnold R. Kriegstein, Joseph L. DeRisi, Jeremy F. Reiter
Summary: ZIKV infection disrupts centrosome organization and affects the localization and stability of centrosomal proteins, as well as the function of regulators of the innate immune response, thereby tempering the immune response.
Article
Virology
Ping Li, Hualian Jiang, Hong Peng, Weijie Zeng, Yongheng Zhong, Miao He, Luyang Xie, Junhai Chen, Deyin Guo, Junyu Wu, Chun-Mei Li
Summary: The study revealed that ZIKV-NS5 is a previously undiscovered regulator of p53-mediated apoptosis in hNPCs, which may contribute to the ZIKV-caused abnormal neurodevelopment.
Article
Microbiology
Stephanea L. Sotcheff, John Yun-Chung Chen, Nathan Elrod, Jun Cao, Elizabeth Jaworski, Muge N. Kuyumcu-Martinez, Pei-Yong Shi, Andrew L. Routh
Summary: By analyzing the response of human placental cells to Zika virus (ZIKV) infection, this study revealed that ZIKV infection affects host cell gene expression and alternative polyadenylation, resulting in upregulation of pathways related to RNA processing and immune response. These findings are important for understanding the infection mechanism and disease progression of ZIKV.
Review
Immunology
Thamil Vaani Komarasamy, Nur Amelia Azreen Adnan, William James, Vinod R. M. T. Balasubramaniam
Summary: This review provides a comprehensive overview of the role and mechanisms of Zika virus in the brain, including the study of target cells, cellular and molecular mechanisms. By analyzing the modulation of different host factors and the role of immune response and inflammatory process, a comprehensive understanding of Zika virus-induced neuroimmunopathogenesis is achieved.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sang Il Kim, Sujeong Kim, Jung Min Shim, Hyo Jung Lee, So Young Chang, Seoryeong Park, Ji-Young Min, Wan Beom Park, Myoung-don Oh, Seungtaek Kim, Junho Chung
Summary: Zika virus infection can lead to neurological complications, but antibody therapy has shown to be effective. Researchers isolated neutralizing antibodies from recovered patients and successfully achieved complete protection against Zika virus in mice through a single dose treatment with these antibodies.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Virology
Isabel Pagani, Linda Ottoboni, Paola Podini, Silvia Ghezzi, Elena Brambilla, Svetlana Bezukladova, Davide Corti, Marco Emilio Bianchi, Maria Rosaria Capobianchi, Guido Poli, Paola Panina-Bordignon, Edwin A. Yates, Gianvito Martino, Elisa Vicenzi
Summary: Heparin exhibits neuroprotective effects against Zika virus infection by inhibiting cell death, necrosis and apoptosis, and preserving cell differentiation, while also inhibiting virus replication.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Adeolu Aromolaran, Katiaci Araujo, Joseph B. Ladines-Lim, Nivison Nery Jr, Mateus S. do Rosario, Valmir N. Rastely Jr, Gracinda Archanjo, Dina Daltro, Gustavo Baltazar da Silveira Carvalho, Kleber Pimentel, Joao Ricardo Maltez de Almeida, Isadora Cristina de Siqueira, Hugo C. Ribeiro, Jamary Oliveira-Filho, Daiana de Oliveira, Daniele F. Henriques, Sueli G. Rodrigues, Pedro F. da Costa Vasconcelos, Antonio R. P. de Almeida, Gielson A. Sacramento, Jaqueline S. Cruz, Manoel Sarno, Bruno de Paula Freitas, Adriana Mattos, Ricardo Khouri, Mitermayer G. Reis, Albert I. Ko, Federico Costa
Summary: This study describes the differences in clinical presentation and disease burden of congenital Zika syndrome-associated microcephaly between two hospitals in Salvador, Brazil, which serve patients of different socioeconomic status. The results show that pregnant women at a low socioeconomic status hospital had a higher rate of Zika virus exposure compared to women at a high socioeconomic status hospital. However, after controlling for maternal Zika virus exposure, both hospitals had similar prevalence of infants with CZS-associated microcephaly.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Qin Hui Li, Kenneth Kim, Sujan Shresta
Summary: Seven years after the onset of the Zika virus epidemic, longitudinal studies have shown that children infected in utero without severe birth defects exhibit motor skill deficits at up to 3 years of age. The long-term health and socioeconomic impacts of fetal Zika virus infection seem inevitable. In the absence of vaccines or antivirals, small animal models of Zika virus transmission are essential to test antiviral strategies and understand the mechanisms of immunity at the maternal-fetal interface. The review discusses the current state of Zika virus transplacental transmission models, highlights key unanswered questions, and sets goals for the next generation of mouse models.
ANTIVIRAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Feargal J. Ryan, Jillian M. Carr, Joao M. Furtado, Yuefang Ma, Liam M. Ashander, Milena Simoes, Genevieve F. Oliver, G. Bracho Granado, Abby C. Dawson, Michael Z. Michael, Binoy Appukuttan, David J. Lynn, Justine R. Smith
Summary: The study revealed the interaction between Zika virus and human iris pigment epithelial cells, as well as the molecular response of the cells, further exploring the possible reasons for the development of inflammatory eye disease uveitis.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Delei Niu, Xianjuan Zhang, Shuyun Zhang, Tianyu Fan, Xiaoqiong Zhou, Hui Wang, Xueming Zhang, Fulong Nan, Shasha Jiang, Fengjun Liu, Yunyang Wang, Bin Wang
Summary: This study reveals that long-term expression of HCMV-IE2 can cause microcephaly by affecting the differentiation and development of neural stem cells. This provides a theoretical and experimental foundation for elucidating the molecular mechanism of fetal microcephaly caused by HCMV infection during neural development in pregnancy.
MOLECULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Virology
Rosa Estela Gazeta, Ana Paula Antunes Pascalicchio Bertozzi, Rita de Cassia de Aguirre Bernardes Dezena, Andrea Cristina Botelho Silva, Thamirys Cosmo Gillo Fajardo, Daniel T. Catalan, Maria de Fatima Valente Rizzo, Antonio Fernandes Moron, Antoni Soriano-Arandes, Nuria Sanchez Clemente, Tania Quintella, Dora Fix Ventura, Francisco Max Damico, Valtenice de Cassia Rodrigues de Matos Franca, Juliana Paula Gomes de Almeida, Ana Laura de Sene Amancio Zara, Lucas Castro Pires, Cohort Zika virus Jundiai, Saulo Duarte Passos
Summary: Congenital Zika virus infection can result in a wide range of clinical manifestations, including developmental delays and neurological abnormalities. Longitudinal study of high-risk pregnant women and their newborns showed that some patients may continue to experience developmental delays beyond the age of three, highlighting the importance of long-term follow-up.
Article
Microbiology
Estefane da C. Nunes, Ana M. B. de Filippis, Taiane do E. S. Pereira, Nieli R. da C. Faria, Alvaro Salgado, Cleiton S. Santos, Teresa C. P. X. Carvalho, Juan Calcagno, Flivia L. L. Chalhoub, David Brown, Marta Giovanetti, Luiz C. J. Alcantara, Fernanda K. Barreto, Isadora C. de Siqueira, Gisele A. B. Canuto
Summary: Zika virus infection can impact neural development and cellular metabolism, with significant alterations in the metabolic profiles of infected newborns observed in this study. This research provides insights into relevant metabolic processes in patients with ZIKV and microcephaly.
