Evaluation of Possible Consequences of Zika Virus Infection in the Developing Nervous System

Author(s)

Walter, Lais Takata ^[1] ; Vilar Higa, Guilherme Shigueto ^{[2, 1]} ; Ikebara, Juliane Midori ^[1] ; Vedovello, Danila ^[3] ; Salvador, Felipe Scassi ^[4] ; Takada, Silvia Honda ^[1] ; Kinjo, Erika Reime ^[1] ; Whalley, Benjamin J. ^[5] ; Speranca, Marcia Aparecida ^[3] ; Kihara, Alexandre Hiroaki ^{[2, 1]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed ABC, Ctr Matemat Comp & Cognicao, Nucleo Cognicao & Sistemas Complexos, Sao Bernardo Do Campo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Ciencias Biomed, Dept Fisiol & Biofis, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fed ABC, Ctr Ciencias Nat & Humanas, Sao Bernardo Do Campo, SP - Brazil

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Lab Virol, Inst Med Trop, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[5] Univ Reading, Sch Chem Food & Nutr Sci & Pharm, Reading, Berks - England

• Document type: Review article
• Source: Molecular Neurobiology; v. 55, n. 2, p. 1620-1629, FEB 2018.
• Web of Science Citations: 1

Abstract

The Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak that occurred in the northeast of Brazil in 2015 led to alarming numbers of babies born with microcephaly in this region. Since then, several studies have evaluated the relationship between ZIKV infection and development of the malformation although the specific mechanistic interaction between ZIKV and human physiological processes that ultimately manifest as microcephaly remains debated. Importantly, most current studies did not consider the specificities of the biology and life cycle of ZIKV. As a consequence, specificities of the infection on the developing central nervous system (CNS) were frequently disregarded. In order to begin to address this important gap in our knowledge, we have collated and critically reviewed the existing evidence in this area to identify any emerging consensus on this topic and thereafter describe possible mechanisms by which ZIKV infection could interfere with specific processes of CNS development, such as neuronal proliferation, and the complex interactions of immature neurons with radial glial cells. With this, we were able to present the current knowledge on this important topic in the neurobiology field. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/16711-6 - MicroRNAs and cell coupling interplay in the development, adaptation and degeneration of the nervous system
• Grantee: Alexandre Hiroaki Kihara
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants