Dados do Trabalho

Título

The impact of ZIKV infection on gene expression in neural cells over time

Introdução

Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak caused one of the most significant medical emergencies in the Americas due to associated microcephaly in newborns.

Objetivo (s)

To evaluate the impact of ZIKV infection on neuronal cells over time, we retrieved gene expression data from 39 ZIKV-infected samples obtained at different time point post-infection (pi).

Material e Métodos

Differential gene expression analysis was applied at each time point, with more differentially expressed genes (DEG) identified at 72h pi. There were 5 DEGs (PLA2G2F, TMEM71, PKD1L2, UBD, and TNFAIP3 genes) across all timepoints, which clearly distinguished between infected and healthy samples. The highest expression levels of all five genes were identified at 72h pi. Taken together, our results indicate that ZIKV infection greatly impacts human neural cells at early times of infection, with peak perturbation observed at 72h pi.

Resultados e Conclusão

Our analysis revealed that all five DEGs, in 39 samples of ZIKV-infected human neural stem cells, remained highly upregulated across the timepoints evaluated. Moreover, despite the pronounced inflammatory host response observed throughout infection, the impact of ZIKV is variable over time. Finally, the five DEGs identified herein play prominent roles in infection, and could serve to guide future investigations into virus-host interaction, as well as constitute targets for therapeutic drug development.

Palavras-chave

ZIKV infection; Neural Stem Cells; Gene expression; Microarray

Agradecimentos

Programa de Excelência em Pesquisa da Fiocruz Rondônia – PROEP grant number VPGDI-008-FIO-21-2-9