Zika Virus infection of human cells: from inducible neuronal progenitors to endometrial cells

25 November 2016
25th November 2016
Contatti: 

Venue: Edificio Povo 2, via Sommarive nr. 9, Povo (Tn) - Room B102
 At 2:00 p.m.

  • Elisa Vicenzi - Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy

Infection by Zika virus (ZIKV), a flavivirus transmitted to humans by mosquito bites, has recently emerged as an important cause of neurological lesions in the fetal brain as women who become infected by ZIKV during pregnancy can transmit the virus to their fetus. In addition, routes of ZIKV transmission independent of mosquito bites have been also identified and include sexual transmission from both infected men and women to their partners, an aspect bearing great societal implications for ZIKV spread. These observations highlight the importance of the female reproductive tract in the establishment and/or spreading of the infection. We have investigated the ZIKV tropism by comparing ZIKV infection of human iPSC-derived neural progenitors (NPCs) and adult skin fibroblasts from which iPSCs were reprogrammed. Furthermore, ZIKV infection of both primary and immortalized human endometrial stromal cells was investigated. I will discuss features of ZIKV infection in the different cell types concerning the type-I interferon response and expression of putative virus receptors and/or capture co-receptors in determining viral tropism.

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