Zika virus: Molecular responses and tissue tropism in the mammalian host

Abstract

Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreaks have raised alarm because of reports of congenital Zika virus syndrome in infants. The virus is also known to cause the debilitating Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults. As a result, extensive research has been carried out on the virus over the past few years. To study the molecular responses of viral infectivity in mammals, in vitro two-dimensional and three-dimensional cellular models have been employed. The in vivo models of mouse, pig, chicken, and nonhuman primates are primarily used to investigate the teratogenicity of the virus, to study effects of the virus on specific tissues, and to study the systemic effects of a proposed antiviral agent. The virus exhibits wide tissue tropism in the mammalian host.

Immunological observations and transcriptomic analysis of trimester‐specific full‐term placentas from three Zika virus‐infected women

“…Zika virus NS3 antigen was detected in placental tissues of all three patients at full term, confirming a strong tropism of the virus to the placenta regardless of the trimester of infection . The ZIKV NS3 antigen was detected in Hofbauer cells, placental macrophages, but not in trophoblasts.…”

“…Zika virus NS3 antigen was detected in placental tissues of all three patients at full term, confirming a strong tropism of the virus to the placenta regardless of the trimester of infection. 25 The ZIKV NS3 antigen was detected in Hofbauer cells, placental macrophages, 9 but not in trophoblasts. The susceptibility of trophoblastic cells to ZIKV infection is still uncertain, with reports indicating either permissive or resistance towards ZIKV infection.…”

IRE1α Promotes Zika Virus Infection via XBP1

“…Epithelial cells represent a target for ZIKV after both vector borne and sexual transmission [32]. We infected human HeLa epithelial cells with an Asian lineage, patient-derived strain of ZIKV (FSS13025) at an MOI of 0.01 and observed an increase in viral RNA over the course of infection ( Figure 1A).…”

Identification of viral RNA sequences in vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) from central Mexico

“…Positive sequences of ZIKV have been identified in non-human Neotropical primates, and laboratory experiments in marmosets showed sustained viremia in treated animals (Terzian et al, 2018). A recent expansion of the virus in Latin America and the infinite possibility of hosts corresponding to wildlife could lead to an increase in cases of this emerging disease (Moser et al, 2018;Shaily & Upadhya, 2019).…”