Vertical transmission of Zika virus targeting the radial glial cells affects cortex development of offspring mice

• Published in: Cell research Vol. 26; no. 6; pp. 645 - 654
• Main Authors: Wu, Kong-Yan, Zuo, Guo-Long, Li, Xiao-Feng, Ye, Qing, Deng, Yong-Qiang, Huang, Xing-Yao, Cao, Wu-Chun, Qin, Cheng-Feng, Luo, Zhen-Ge
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.06.2016; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/250/255/2514; 631/326/596/2563; 631/378/2571; 631/378/2596; Animal models; Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cell Biology; Cell Cycle - genetics; Cell Proliferation; Cerebral Cortex - abnormalities; Cerebral Cortex - embryology; Cerebral Cortex - pathology; Cerebral Cortex - virology; Ependymoglial Cells - pathology; Ependymoglial Cells - virology; Fetus - pathology; Fetus - virology; Gene Expression Regulation; Life Sciences; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Microcephaly - genetics; Microcephaly - pathology; Microcephaly - virology; Neural Stem Cells - pathology; Offspring; Original; original-article; Vector-borne diseases; Zika virus; Zika Virus - physiology; Zika Virus Infection - pathology; Zika Virus Infection - transmission; Zika Virus Infection - virology; 后代; 垂直传播; 大脑发育; 小鼠; 放射状; 病毒; 皮质; 胶质细胞; vertical transmission; Zika virus; radial glial cells; cortical development
• ISSN: 1001-0602; 1748-7838; 1748-7838
• DOI: 10.1038/cr.2016.58

The recent Zika virus （ZIKV） epidemic in Latin America coincided with a marked increase in microcephaly in newborns. However, the causal link between maternal ZIKV infection and malformation of the fetal brain has not been firmly established. Here we show a vertical transmission of ZIKV in mice and a marked effect on fetal brain development. We found that intraperitoneal （i.p.） injection of a contemporary ZIKV strain in pregnant mice led to the infection of radial gila cells （RGs） of dorsal ventricular zone of the fetuses, the primary neural progenitors responsi- ble for cortex development, and caused a marked reduction of these cortex founder cells in the fetuses. Interestingly, the infected fetal mice exhibited a reduced cavity of lateral ventricles and a discernable decrease in surface areas of the cortex. This study thus supports l;he conclusion that vertically transmitted ZIKV affects fetal brain development and provides a valuable animal model for the evaluation of potential therapeutic or preventative strategies.