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Envelope Protein Glycosylation Mediates Zika Virus Pathogenesis.

ABSTRACT: Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging mosquito-borne flavivirus. Recent ZIKV outbreaks have produced serious human disease, including neurodevelopmental malformations (congenital Zika syndrome) and Guillain-Barré syndrome. These outcomes were not associated with ZIKV infection prior to 2013, raising the possibility that viral genetic changes could contribute to new clinical manifestations. All contemporary ZIKV isolates encode an N-linked glycosylation site in the envelope (E) protein (N154), but this glycosylation site is absent in many historical ZIKV isolates. Here, we investigated the role of E protein glycosylation in ZIKV pathogenesis using two contemporary Asian-lineage strains (H/PF/2013 and PRVABC59) and the historical African-lineage strain (MR766). We found that glycosylated viruses were highly pathogenic in Ifnar1-/- mice. In contrast, nonglycosylated viruses were attenuated, producing lower viral loads in the serum and brain when inoculated subcutaneously but remaining neurovirulent when inoculated intracranially. These results suggest that E glycosylation is advantageous in the periphery but not within the brain. Accordingly, we found that glycosylation facilitated infection of cells expressing the lectins dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule-3-grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN) or DC-SIGN-related (DC-SIGNR), suggesting that inefficient infection of lectin-expressing leukocytes could contribute to the attenuation of nonglycosylated ZIKV in mice.IMPORTANCE It is unclear why the ability of Zika virus (ZIKV) to cause serious disease, including Guillain-Barré syndrome and birth defects, was not recognized until recent outbreaks. One contributing factor could be genetic differences between contemporary ZIKV strains and historical ZIKV strains. All isolates from recent outbreaks encode a viral envelope protein that is glycosylated, whereas many historical ZIKV strains lack this glycosylation. We generated nonglycosylated ZIKV mutants from contemporary and historical strains and evaluated their virulence in mice. We found that nonglycosylated viruses were attenuated and produced lower viral loads in serum and brains. Our studies suggest that envelope protein glycosylation contributes to ZIKV pathogenesis, possibly by facilitating attachment to and infection of lectin-expressing leukocytes.

SUBMITTER: Carbaugh DL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6613755 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Envelope Protein Glycosylation Mediates Zika Virus Pathogenesis.

Carbaugh Derek L DL Baric Ralph S RS Lazear Helen M HM

Journal of virology 20190529 12

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging mosquito-borne flavivirus. Recent ZIKV outbreaks have produced serious human disease, including neurodevelopmental malformations (congenital Zika syndrome) and Guillain-Barré syndrome. These outcomes were not associated with ZIKV infection prior to 2013, raising the possibility that viral genetic changes could contribute to new clinical manifestations. All contemporary ZIKV isolates encode an N-linked glycosylation site in the envelope (E) protein (N154), but thi ...[more]

PMID: 30944176

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Project description:In February 2016, the World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on Zika Virus (ZIKV), because of its association with severe fetal anomalies of congenitally infected humans. This has led to urgent efforts by academic, federal, and industry research groups to improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of ZIKV and to develop detection methods, therapeutic strategies, and vaccines. Although we still do not have the entire picture of the pathogenesis of ZIKV, extensive research has been conducted on related pathogenic flaviviruses (i.e., dengue virus, West Nile virus, and yellow fever virus). Binding to glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) through its envelope protein is the first step in successful host cell invasion of dengue virus. In this study, we examined ZIKV envelope protein (ZIKV E) binding to GAGs in a real time interaction study using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) to explore the role of GAGs in host cell entry of ZIKV into placenta and brain. ZIKV E strongly binds (KD = 443 nM) pharmaceutical heparin (HP), a highly sulfated GAG, and binds with lower avidity to less sulfated GAGs, suggesting that the ZIKV E-GAG interaction may be electrostatically driven. Using SPR competition assays with various chain length HP oligosaccharides (from 4 to 18 saccharide units in length), we observed that ZIKV E preferentially binds to longer HP oligosaccharides (with 8-18 saccharides). Next, we examined GAGs prepared from human placentas to determine if they bound ZIKV E, possibly mediating placental cell invasion of ZIKV. Compositional analysis of these GAGs as well as SPR binding studies showed that both chondroitin sulfate and heparan sulfate GAGs, present on the placenta, showed low-micromolar interactions with ZIKV E. Both porcine brain CS and HS also showed micromolar binding with ZIKV E. Moreover, heparan sulfate with a higher TriS content, the dominant repeating unit of HP, shows a high affinity for ZIKV E. These results suggest that GAGs may be utilized as attachment factors for host cell entry of Zika virus as they do in other pathogenic flaviviruses. They may also assist us in advancing our understanding of the pathogenesis of ZIKV and guide us in designing therapeutics to combat ZIKV with more insight.

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Envelope Protein Glycosylation Mediates Zika Virus Pathogenesis.

Publications

Envelope Protein Glycosylation Mediates Zika Virus Pathogenesis.

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