Analysis of miRNA expression in human prostate cells infected with Zika virus

• Grant number: 17/09197-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: September 01, 2017
• End date: February 28, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Human and Medical Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Marilia de Freitas Calmon
• Grantee: Francielly Cristina Machado
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José do Rio Preto. São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Recent outbreaks of ZIKV infections have characterized a long-term global public health concern. Although the initial attention to infection by this virus has been its connexion with neurological diseases, currently different problematic also has interested researchers. One of these problems concerns the relation between ZIKV and human reproductive systems. Men infected with ZIKV have had viral RNA in the semen for up to 6 months after the onset of infection symptoms. This presence indicates that organs of the reproductive system are potential reservoirs for the ZIKV. Studies with rodents aimed to identifying these reservoirs have indicated the testes as the most likely. However, the presence of ZIKV in the ejaculated fluid of vasectomized men indicates that a more distal organ, such as the prostate, may also act for this purpose. The miRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that exhibit regulatory functions on gene expression and participate in the modulation of the cellular response to viral infection. This modulation is already documented for viruses phylogenetically close to ZIKV, in which the increase or decrease in the expression of cellular miRNAs in response to viral infection is observed. Regarding ZIKV, it has been suggested that it is able to modulate some cellular pathways, such as the biogenesis of cellular miRNA, but it is unknown which miRNAs are targets of this modulation. In addition, some studies have suggested that this modulation may be strain-specific. Thus, the purpose of this study is to infect normal human prostate cells with the African and Brazilian ZIKV strains by evaluating whether they are susceptible to the virus; to evaluate the expression of miRNAs after infection and to analyze, in silico, the target genes of these miRNAs and the cellular pathways in which they are involved. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MACHADO, FRANCIELLY CRISTINA; BITTAR, CINTIA; RAHAL, PAULA; CALMON, MARILIA FREITAS. Identification of differentially expressed miRNAs in human cells infected with different Zika virus strains. ARCHIVES OF VIROLOGY, v. 166, n. 6, APR 2021. (17/09197-2, 14/22198-0, 15/16660-5)