Year: 2018
Type: article
Abstract: Zika virus (ZIKV) causes mostly asymptomatic infection or mild febrile illness. However, with an increasing number of patients, various clinical features such as microcephaly, Guillain-Barré syndrome and thrombocytopenia have also been reported. To determine which host factors are related to pathogenesis, the E protein of ZIKV was analyzed with the Informational Spectrum Method, which identifies common information encoded by primary structures of the virus and the respective host protein. The data showed that the ZIKV E protein and the complement component C1q cross-spectra are characterized by a single dominant peak at the frequency F = 0.338, suggesting similar biological properties. Indeed, C1q-specific antibodies were detected in sera obtained from mice and monkeys infected with ZIKV. As C1q has been known to be involved not only in immunity, but also in synaptic organization and different autoimmune diseases, a ZIKV-induced anti-C1q antibody response may contribute to the neurological complications. These findings might also be exploited for the design of safe and efficacious vaccines in the future.
Source: Scientific Reports
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,690
Funders: Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation, Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pan American Health Organization, Medical Research Council, National Medical Research Council, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
OpenAlex ID: W2794097596