Paracrine IFN response limits ZIKV infection in human Sertoli cells

ABSTRACT: Zika virus (ZIKV) is unique among mosquito-borne flaviviruses in its ability to be sexually transmitted. The testes have been implicated as sites of long-term ZIKV replication, and our previous studies have identified Sertoli cells (SC), the nurse cells of the seminiferous epithelium that govern spermatogenesis, as major targets of ZIKV infection. To improve our understanding of the host-ZIKV interaction within human testicular cells, we analyzed ZIKV-induced proteome changes in SC and mixed seminiferous tubule cells (STC) using high-throughput liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). We found that ZIKV infection in SC and STC induced distinct IFN-stimulated proteins and impacted pathways and functional networks associated with innate antiviral defense. IFN signaling was the most significantly enriched pathway and MX1 was the most abundant IFN-stimulated protein in both SC and STC. Increased levels of MX1 at later time points of infection coincided with diminished propagation of ZIKV in SC, whereas silencing of MX1 and IFIT1 enhanced peak ZIKV titers in SC. Furthermore, although downstream IFN-I signaling was found to be functional and restricted ZIKV replication in SC, in comparison to A549 cells, SC exhibited dampened expression of IFN-I/III-stimulated genes despite higher levels of virus progeny and IFN-I/III transcripts. Together, this study highlights the IFN-I/III response as a driver of the antiviral state that limits ZIKV infection in SC and suggests that delayed and reduced robustness of innate antiviral defense in SC may contribute to ZIKV persistence in the testes.

INSTRUMENT(S): LTQ Orbitrap Elite

ORGANISM(S): Homo Sapiens (human)

TISSUE(S): Sertoli Cell, Cell Culture

DISEASE(S): Zika Fever

SUBMITTER: Michael Ward  

LAB HEAD: Saguna Verma

PROVIDER: PXD025133 | Pride | 2021-09-10

REPOSITORIES: Pride