scholarly journals Obstetric Ultrasonography to Detect Fetal Abnormalities in a Mouse Model for Zika Virus Infection

Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 72
Author(s):  
Dominik Forster ◽  
Jan Hendrik Schwarz ◽  
Katrin Brosinski ◽  
Ulrich Kalinke ◽  
Gerd Sutter ◽  
...  

In 2015 Zika virus (ZIKV) emerged for the first time in South America. The following ZIKV epidemic resulted in the appearance of a clinical phenotype with microcephaly and other severe malformations in newborns. So far, mechanisms of ZIKV induced damage to the fetus are not completely understood. Previous data suggest that ZIKV may bypass the placenta to reach the fetus. Thus, animal models for ZIKV infection are important to facilitate studies about ZIKV infection during pregnancy. Here, we used ultrasound based imaging (USI) to characterize ZIKV induced pathogenesis in the pregnant Type I interferon receptor-deficient (IFNAR-/-) mouse model. Based on USI we suggest the placenta to be a primary target organ of ZIKV infection enabling ZIKV spreading to the fetus. Moreover, in addition to direct infection of the fetus, the placental ZIKV infection may cause an indirect damage to the fetus through reduced uteroplacental perfusion leading to intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and fetal complications as early as embryonic day (ED) 12.5. Our data confirmed the capability of USI to characterize ZIKV induced modifications in mouse fetuses. Data from further studies using USI to monitor ZIKV infections will contribute to a better understanding of ZIKV infection in pregnant IFNAR-/- mice.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna S. Jaeger ◽  
Reyes A. Murreita ◽  
Lea R. Goren ◽  
Chelsea M. Crooks ◽  
Ryan V. Moriarty ◽  
...  

AbstractCongenital Zika virus (ZIKV) infection was first linked to birth defects during the American outbreak 1–3. It has been proposed that mutations unique to the Asian/American-genotype explain, at least in part, the ability of Asian/American ZIKV to cause congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) 4,5. Recent studies identified mutations in ZIKV infecting humans that arose coincident with the outbreak in French Polynesia and were stably maintained during subsequent spread to the Americas 5. Here we show that African ZIKV can infect and harm fetuses and that the S139N mutation that has been associated with the American outbreak is not essential for fetal harm. Our findings, in a vertical transmission mouse model, suggest that ZIKV will remain a threat to pregnant women for the foreseeable future, including in Africa, southeast Asia, and the Americas. Additional research is needed to better understand the risks associated with ZIKV infection during pregnancy, both in areas where the virus is newly endemic and where it has been circulating for decades.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Grass ◽  
Emilie Hardy ◽  
Kassian Kobert ◽  
Soheil Rastgou Talemi ◽  
Elodie Décembre ◽  
...  

AbstractZika virus (ZIKV) infection can cause developmental and neurological defects and represents a threat for human health. Type I/III interferon responses control ZIKV infection and pathological processes, yet the virus has evolved various mechanisms to defeat these host responses. Here, we established a pipeline to delineate at high-resolution the genetic evolution of ZIKV in a controlled host cell environment. We uncovered that serially passaged ZIKV acquired increased infectivity, defined as the probability for one virus to initiate infection, and simultaneously developed a resistance to TLR3-induced restriction. We built a mathematical model that suggests that the increased infectivity is due to a reduced time-lag between infection and viral replication. We found that this adaptation is cell-type specific, suggesting that different cell environments may drive viral evolution along different routes. Deep-sequencing of ZIKV quasi-species pinpointed mutations whose increased frequencies temporally coincide with the acquisition of the adapted phenotype. We functionally validated a point-mutation in ZIKV envelope (E) protein recapitulating the adapted phenotype. Its positioning on the E structure suggests a putative function in protein refolding/stability. Altogether, our results uncovered ZIKV adaptations to the cell environment leading to an accelerated replication onset coupled with resistance to TLR3-induced antiviral response. Our work provides insights into viral escape mechanisms and interactions with host cell and can serve as a framework to study other viruses.Significance StatementZika virus poses a major threat to Human health worldwide. To understand how Zika virus interacts with human cells, we studied its evolution in cell cultures. We found that the viruses adapted by initiating their replication sooner after cell entry. We sequenced the genomes of the viruses evolved over time and found mutations underlying the adaptation of the virus. One mutation in the envelope viral protein is sufficient to reproduce the faster initiation of replication. Our multidisciplinary approach based on analyzing viral evolution in a controlled environment and mathematical modeling revealed how Zika virus can escape antiviral responses, and can serve as framework to study other viruses.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuyi Huang ◽  
Yujie Wang ◽  
Shuhui Meng ◽  
Zhuohang Chen ◽  
Haifan Kong ◽  
...  

Recent studies have indicated that the Zika virus (ZIKV) has a significant impact on the fetal brain, and autophagy is contributing to host immune response and defense against virus infection. Here, we demonstrate that ZIKV infection triggered increased LC3 punctuation in mouse monocyte-macrophage cell line (RAW264.7), mouse microglial cell line (BV2), and hindbrain tissues, proving the occurrence of autophagy both in vitro and in vivo. Interestingly, manual intervention of autophagy, like deficiency inhibited by 3-MA, can reduce viral clearance in RAW264.7 cells upon ZIKV infection. Besides, specific siRNA strategy confirmed that autophagy can be activated through Atg7-Atg5 and type I IFN signaling pathway upon ZIKV infection, while knocking down of Atg7 and Atg5 effectively decreased the ZIKV clearance in phagocytes. Furthermore, we analyzed that type I IFN signaling could contribute to autophagic clearance of invaded ZIKV in phagocytes. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that ZIKV-induced autophagy is favorable to activate host immunity, particularly through type I IFN signaling, which participates in host protection and defense against ZIKV infection.


2019 ◽  
Vol 93 (14) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Miorin ◽  
Maudry Laurent-Rolle ◽  
Giuseppe Pisanelli ◽  
Pierre Hendrick Co ◽  
Randy A. Albrecht ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The recent yellow fever virus (YFV) epidemic in Brazil in 2017 and Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic in 2015 serve to remind us of the importance of flaviviruses as emerging human pathogens. With the current global flavivirus threat, there is an urgent need for antivirals and vaccines to curb the spread of these viruses. However, the lack of suitable animal models limits the research questions that can be answered. A common trait of all flaviviruses studied thus far is their ability to antagonize interferon (IFN) signaling so as to enhance viral replication and dissemination. Previously, we reported that YFV NS5 requires the presence of type I IFN (IFN-α/β) for its engagement with human signal transducer and activator of transcription 2 (hSTAT2). In this manuscript, we report that like the NS5 proteins of ZIKV and dengue virus (DENV), YFV NS5 protein is able to bind hSTAT2 but not murine STAT2 (mSTAT2). Contrary to what has been demonstrated with ZIKV NS5 and DENV NS5, replacing mSTAT2 with hSTAT2 cannot rescue the YFV NS5-STAT2 interaction, as YFV NS5 is also unable to interact with hSTAT2 in murine cells. We show that the IFN-α/β-dependent ubiquitination of YFV NS5 that is required for STAT2 binding in human cells is absent in murine cells. In addition, we demonstrate that mSTAT2 restricts YFV replication in vivo. These data serve as further impetus for the development of an immunocompetent mouse model that can serve as a disease model for multiple flaviviruses. IMPORTANCE Flaviviruses such as yellow fever virus (YFV), Zika virus (ZIKV), and dengue virus (DENV) are important human pathogens. A common flavivirus trait is the antagonism of interferon (IFN) signaling to enhance viral replication and spread. We report that like ZIKV NS5 and DENV NS5, YFV NS5 binds human STAT2 (hSTAT2) but not mouse STAT2 (mSTAT2), a type I IFN (IFN-α/β) pathway component. Additionally, we show that contrary to what has been demonstrated with ZIKV NS5 and DENV NS5, YFV NS5 is unable to interact with hSTAT2 in murine cells. We demonstrate that mSTAT2 restricts YFV replication in mice and that this correlates with a lack of IFN-α/β-induced YFV NS5 ubiquitination in murine cells. The lack of suitable animal models limits flavivirus pathogenesis, vaccine, and drug research. These data serve as further impetus for the development of an immunocompetent mouse model that can serve as a disease model for multiple flaviviruses.


mBio ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol L. Vinton ◽  
Samuel J. Magaziner ◽  
Kimberly A. Dowd ◽  
Shelly J. Robertson ◽  
Emerito Amaro-Carambot ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Flaviviruses are controlled by adaptive immune responses but are exquisitely sensitive to interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). How coinfections, particularly simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVs), that induce robust ISG signatures influence flavivirus clearance and pathogenesis is unclear. Here, we studied how Zika virus (ZIKV) infection is modulated in SIV-infected nonhuman primates. We measured ZIKV replication, cellular ZIKV RNA levels, and immune responses in non-SIV-infected and SIV-infected rhesus macaques (RMs), which we infected with ZIKV. Coinfected animals had a 1- to 2-day delay in peak ZIKV viremia, which was 30% of that in non-SIV-infected animals. However, ZIKV viremia was significantly prolonged in SIV-positive (SIV+) RMs. ISG levels at the time of ZIKV infection were predictive for lower ZIKV viremia in the SIV+ RMs, while prolonged ZIKV viremia was associated with muted and delayed adaptive responses in SIV+ RMs. IMPORTANCE Immunocompromised individuals often become symptomatic with infections which are normally fairly asymptomatic in healthy individuals. The particular mechanisms that underlie susceptibility to coinfections in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals are multifaceted. ZIKV and other flaviviruses are sensitive to neutralizing antibodies, whose production can be limited in HIV-infected individuals but are also sensitive to type I interferons, which are expressed at high levels in HIV-infected individuals. Data in this study highlight how individual components of the innate and adaptive immune responses which become perturbed in HIV-infected individuals influence ZIKV infection.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Pagani ◽  
Silvia Ghezzi ◽  
Adele Ulisse ◽  
Alicia Rubio ◽  
Filippo Turrini ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTZika virus (ZIKV) is a recently re-emerged flavivirus transmitted to humans by mosquito bites but also from mother to fetus and by sexual intercourse. We here show for the first time that primary human endometrial stromal cells (HESC) are highly permissive to ZIKV infection and support its in vitro replication. ZIKV envelope expression was detected in the endoplasmic reticulum whereas double-stranded viral RNA colocalized with vimentin filaments to the perinuclear region. ZIKV productive infection also occurred in the human T-HESC cell line with the induction of interferon-β (IFN-β) and of IFN-stimulated genes. Notably, in vitro decidualization of T-HESC with cyclic AMP and progesterone upregulated the cell surface expression of the ZIKV entry co-receptor AXL and boosted ZIKV replication by ca. 100-fold. Thus, endometrial stromal cells, particularly if decidualized, likely represent a crucial cell target of sexual virus transmission and a relevant source of ZIKV spreading to placental trophoblasts during pregnancy.AUTHOR SUMMARYInfection by Zika virus (ZIKV), a flavivirus transmitted to humans by mosquito bites, has recently emerged as an important cause of neurological lesions in the fetal brain as women who become infected by ZIKV during pregnancy can transmit the virus to their fetus. In addition, routes of ZIKV transmission independent of mosquito bites have been also identified and include sexual transmission from both infected men and women to their partners, an aspect bearing great societal implications for ZIKV spread. These observations highlight the importance of the female reproductive tract in the establishment and/or spreading of the infection. In this regard, the endometrium is a highly dynamic tissue undergoing major histological changes during the menstrual cycle under the coordinated action of sexual hormones. In particular, progesterone drives the differentiation of human endometrial stromal cells towards decidualization, a process that is critical for fetal trophoblast invasion and placenta formation. We here report for the first time that both primary and immortalized human endometrial stromal cells are highly permissive to ZIKV infection and replication, particularly when in vitro decidualized by progesterone, suggesting that these cells could significantly contribute to vertical ZIKV transmission in utero during pregnancy but also to horizontal transmission by the sexual route.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Grass ◽  
Emilie Hardy ◽  
Kassian Kobert ◽  
Soheil Rastgou Talemi ◽  
Elodie Décembre ◽  
...  

Abstract Zika virus (ZIKV) infection can cause important developmental and neurological defects in Humans. Type I/III interferon responses control ZIKV infection and pathological processes, yet the virus has evolved various mechanisms to defeat these host responses. Here, we established a pipeline to delineate at high-resolution the genetic evolution of ZIKV in a controlled host cell environment. We uncovered that serially passaged ZIKV acquired increased infectivity and simultaneously developed a resistance to TLR3-induced restriction. We built a mathematical model that suggests that the increased infectivity is due to a reduced time-lag between infection and viral replication. We found that this adaptation is cell-type specific, suggesting that different cell environments may drive viral evolution along different routes. Deep-sequencing of ZIKV populations pinpointed mutations whose increased frequencies temporally coincide with the acquisition of the adapted phenotype. We functionally validated S455L, a substitution in ZIKV envelope (E) protein, recapitulating the adapted phenotype. Its positioning on the E structure suggests a putative function in protein refolding/stability. Taken together, our results uncovered ZIKV adaptations to the cellular environment leading to accelerated replication onset coupled with resistance to TLR3-induced antiviral response. Our work provides insights into Zika virus adaptation to host cells and immune escape mechanisms.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lili Li ◽  
Yueyue Shi ◽  
Sirui Li ◽  
Junxiao Liu ◽  
Shulong Zu ◽  
...  

Abstract Zika virus (ZIKV) infection and ZIKV epidemic have been continuously spreading silently throughout the world and its associated microcephaly and other serious congenital neurological complications poses a significant global threat to public health. ZIKV infection stimulates type I interferon response in host cells which suppresses viral replication by inducing the expression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). Here, we identified ADP-ribosyltransferase PARP11 as an anti-ZIKV ISG and found that PARP11 suppressed ZIKV independently on itself PARP enzyme activity. Furthermore, PARP11 interacted with PARP12 and promoted PARP12-mediating ZIKV NS1 and NS3 protein degradation. Homo family PARP11 and PARP12 cooperated with each other on ZIKV suppression and the anti-ZIKV function of PARP11 mostly dependent on the existence of PARP12. Our findings have broadened the understanding of the anti-viral function of PARP11, and more importantly suggest a potential therapeutics target against ZIKV infection.


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