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New Findings Heighten Zika Concerns
PuraVidaCommunity
Concerns over the Zika virus have focused on pregnant women due to mounting evidence that it causes brain abnormalities in developing fetuses.
However, new research in mice from scientists at The Rockefeller University and La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology suggests that certain adult
brain cells may be vulnerable to infection as well. Among these are populations of cells that serve to replace lost or damaged neurons throughout
adulthood, and are also thought to be critical to learning and memory.
“This is the first study looking at the effect of Zika infection on the adult brain,” says Joseph Gleeson, adjunct professor at Rockefeller, head of the
Laboratory of Pediatric Brain Disease, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. “Based on our findings, getting infected with Zika as an adult
may not be as innocuous as people think.”
Although more research is needed to determine if this damage has long-term biological implications or the potential to affect behavior, the findings
suggest the possibility that the Zika virus, which has become widespread in Central and South America over the past eight months, may be more harmful
than previously believed. The new findings were published in Cell Stem Cell on August 18.
“Zika can clearly enter the brain of adults and can wreak havoc,” says Sujan Shresta, a professor at the La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology. “But
it’s a complex disease—it’s catastrophic for early brain development, yet the majority of adults who are infected with Zika rarely show detectable
symptoms. Its effect on the adult brain may be more subtle, and now we know what to look for.”
Spread by mosquitoes, Zika is widespread in Central and South America, and is
becoming more prevalent across the globe (Photo by Alex Wild).
Virus carrier: Spread by mosquitoes, Zika is widespread in Central and South America,
and is becoming more prevalent across the globe. (Photo by Alex Wild)
Neuronal progenitors
Early in gestation, before our brains have developed into a complex organ with
specialized zones, they are comprised entirely of neural progenitor cells. With the
capability to replenish the brain’s neurons throughout its lifetime, these are the stem
cells of the brain. In healthy individuals, neural progenitor cells eventually become
fully formed neurons, and it is thought that at some point along this progression they
become resistant to Zika, explaining why adults appear less susceptible to the
disease.
But current evidence suggests that Zika targets neural progenitor cells, leading to loss of these cells and to reduced brain volume. This closely mirrors
what is seen in microcephaly, a developmental condition linked to Zika infection in developing fetuses that results in a smaller-than-normal head and a
wide variety of developmental disabilities.
The mature brain retains niches of these neural progenitor
cells that appear to be especially impacted by Zika. These
niches—in mice they exist primarily in two regions, the
subventricular zone of the anterior forebrain and the
subgranular zone of the hippocampus—are vital for learning
and memory.
Gleeson and his colleagues suspected that if Zika can infect
fetal neural progenitor cells, it wouldn’t be a far stretch for
them to also be able to infect these cells in adults. In a
mouse model engineered by Shresta and her team to mimic
Zika infection in humans, fluorescent biomarkers illuminated
to reveal that adult neural progenitor cells could indeed be
hijacked by the virus.
Picture blood - Zika in the adult brain: Illumination of the fluorescent biomarker in green revealed that Zika can infect the adult mouse brain in a region
full of neural progenitor cells, which play an important role in learning and memory.
“Our results are pretty dramatic—in the parts of the brain that lit up, it was like a Christmas tree,” says Gleeson. “It was very clear that the virus wasn’t
affecting the whole brain evenly, like people are seeing in the fetus. In the adult, it’s only these two populations that are very specific to the stem cells
that are affected by virus. These cells are special, and somehow very susceptible to the infection.”
Beyond fetal brain infection
The researchers found that infection correlated with evidence of cell death and reduced generation of new neurons in these regions. Integration of new
neurons into learning and memory circuits is crucial for neuroplasticity, which allows the brain to change over time. Deficits in this process are associated
with cognitive decline and neuropathological conditions, such as depression and Alzheimer’s disease.
Gleeson and colleagues recognize that healthy humans may be able to mount an effective immune response and prevent the virus from attacking.
However, they suggest that some people, such as those with weakened immune systems, may be vulnerable to the virus in a way that has not yet been
recognized.
“In more subtle cases, the virus could theoretically impact long-term memory or risk of depression,” says Gleeson, “but tools do not exist to test the
long-term effects of Zika on adult stem cell populations.”
In addition to microcephaly, Zika has been linked to Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare condition in which the immune system attacks parts of the nervous
system, leading to muscle weakness or even paralysis. “The connection has been hard to trace since Guillain-Barré usually develops after the infection
has cleared,” says Shresta. “We propose that infection of adult neural progenitor cells could be the mechanism behind this.”
There are still many unanswered questions, including exactly how translatable findings in this mouse model are to humans. Gleeson’s findings in
particular raise questions such as: Does the damage inflicted on progenitor cells by the virus have lasting biological consequences, and can this in turn
affect learning and memory? Or, do these cells have the capability to recover? Nonetheless, these findings raise the possibility that Zika is not simply a
transient infection in adult humans, and that exposure in the adult brain could have long-term effects.
“The virus seems to be traveling quite a bit as people move around the world,” says Gleeson. “Given this study, I think the public health enterprise should
consider monitoring for Zika infections in all groups, not just pregnant women.”
Joseph Gleeson also holds appointments at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego. This research
was supported by NIH grants R01NS041537, R01NS048453, R01NS052455, P01HD070494, and P30NS047101; the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative
(SFARI); the Howard Hughes Medical Institute; California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (to J.G. Gleeson); NIH grant R01 AI116813 (to S. Shresta); and a
Druckenmiller Fellowship from New York Stem Cell Foundation (to H. Li).
“Based on our findings, getting infected with Zika as an adult may not be as innocuous as people think,” Joseph Gleeson, a co-author of the
study, said.
According to the research, the infection may affect neurons that are responsible for replacing lost and damaged brain cells. Although the symptoms of
such damage are subtle, “the virus could theoretically impact long-term memory or risk of depression.”
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that there have been more than 11,350 confirmed cases of Zika in the United States
and its territories. The true number of cases, however, is unknown, since many that carry the disease only evidence mild symptoms, if any.
As a result, it is difficult to track or control the spread of the disease. The Fiscal Times reported: “If a man is infected, he can pass on the virus through
semen, a blood transfusion or other bodily fluids. Unfortunately, researchers are unsure how long Zika remains in a man’s body.”
Related Article Published by PuraVidaCommunity: 10 Essencial Facts About Zika Virus
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