Microscopy analysis of Zika virus morphogenesis in mammalian cells

Sci Rep. 2020 May 20;10(1):8370. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-65409-y.

Abstract

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an arbovirus that recently emerged in the Americas as an important pathogen mainly because of its expanded pathogenesis, and elevated tropism for neuronal cells, transposition across the placental barrier, and replication in reproductive tract cells. Thus, transmission modes are eventually independent of an invertebrate vector, which is an atypical behavior for the flavivirus genus and indicates the need to study the replication of this virus in different cell types. Although ZIKV became a target for public health programs, the interaction of this flavivirus with the infected cell is still poorly understood. Herein, we analyzed the main stages of virus morphogenesis in mammalian cells, from establishment of the viroplasm-like zone to viral release from infected cells, using super-resolution fluorescence microscopy and electron microscopy. In addition, we compared this with other host cell types and other members of the Flaviviridae family that present a similar dynamic.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aedes
  • Animals
  • Cell Line
  • Chlorocebus aethiops
  • Electron Microscope Tomography
  • Epithelial Cells / ultrastructure
  • Epithelial Cells / virology*
  • Host Microbial Interactions*
  • Humans
  • Macaca mulatta
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Morphogenesis*
  • Virus Release / physiology
  • Virus Replication / physiology
  • Zika Virus / growth & development*
  • Zika Virus / pathogenicity
  • Zika Virus Infection / transmission
  • Zika Virus Infection / virology