How Zika evades cellular antiviral responses

In a new study of the Zika virus, scientists at Northwestern University have discovered a key mechanism by which the virus evades the antiviral response of its attacking cells

Before SARS-CoV-2, Zika virus caused a recent outbreak of viral disease, and there is currently no vaccine or drug against Zika virus

"Here, we looked at a Zika virus protein known to inhibit the antiviral response," said Curt Horvath, corresponding author on the paper

Horvath and his lab study the ability of viruses to suppress the antiviral response in humans

The research was recently published in the Journal of Virology

"Zika is simpler than SARS-CoV-2, but SARS-CoV-2 does many of the same things to suppress the antiviral response," Horvath said

Zika virus was discovered in humans in 1952 and belongs to the flavivirus family, which includes dengue fever, hepatitis C, yellow fever,

STAT2 is an essential component of the interferon response and a common target of Zika, dengue and other flaviviruses

In human cells, the mechanism by which STAT2 is specifically targeted is less well understood, Horvath said

Horvath and his team used molecular biology, biochemistry, and fluorescence microscopy techniques combined with viral infection to characterize Zika-mediated immune escape and dissect the fundamental components of Zika-stat2 interaction

The identification of NS5 protein-stat2 protein interactions provides targets for the creation of new approaches to fight infections, including compound screening and chemical biology, to develop new probes and drugs, or to enable the formulation of new vaccines or antibody therapeutics

Horvath is also a member of Northwestern University's Institute of Life Process Chemistry and the Northwestern University Robert H.

The paper's other authors are Jean-Patrick Parisien (first author), Jessica J.

Journal Reference :

1. Jean-Patrick Parisien, Jessica J.