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Chen J, Yang YF, Chen J, Zhou X, Dong Z, Chen T, Yang Y, Zou P, Jiang B, Hu Y, Lu L, Zhang X, Liu J, Xu J, Zhu T. Zika virus infects renal proximal tubular epithelial cells with prolonged persistency and cytopathic effects. Emerg Microbes Infect 2017; 6:e77. [PMID: 28831192 PMCID: PMC5583673 DOI: 10.1038/emi.2017.67] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2017] [Revised: 07/02/2017] [Accepted: 07/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) infection can cause fetal developmental abnormalities and Guillain–Barré syndrome in adults. Although progress has been made in understanding the link between ZIKV infection and microcephaly, the pathology of ZIKV, particularly the viral reservoirs in human, remains poorly understood. Several studies have shown that compared to serum samples, patients’ urine samples often have a longer duration of ZIKV persistency and higher viral load. This finding suggests that an independent viral reservoir may exist in the human urinary system. Despite the clinical observations, the host cells of ZIKV in the human urinary system are poorly characterized. In this study, we demonstrate that ZIKV can infect renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (RPTEpiCs) in immunodeficient mice in vivo and in both immortalized and primary human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (hRPTEpiCs) in vitro. Importantly, ZIKV infection in mouse kidneys caused caspase-3-mediated apoptosis of renal cells. Similarly, in vitro infection of immortalized and primary hRPTEpiCs resulted in notable cytopathic effects. Consistent with the clinical observations, we found that ZIKV infection can persist with prolonged duration in hRPTEpiCs. RNA-Seq analyses of infected hRPTEpiCs revealed a large number of transcriptional changes in response to ZIKV infection, including type I interferon signaling genes and anti-viral response genes. Our results suggest that hRPTEpiCs are a potential reservoir of ZIKV in the human urinary system, providing a possible explanation for the prolonged persistency of ZIKV in patients’ urine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Chen
- Scientific Research Center, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China
| | - Yi-Feng Yang
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Jun Chen
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala 75236, Sweden
| | - Xiaohui Zhou
- Scientific Research Center, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China
| | - Zhaoguang Dong
- Scientific Research Center, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China
| | - Tianyue Chen
- Scientific Research Center, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China
| | - Yu Yang
- Scientific Research Center, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China
| | - Peng Zou
- Scientific Research Center, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China
| | - Biao Jiang
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Yunwen Hu
- Scientific Research Center, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China
| | - Lu Lu
- Scientific Research Center, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China
| | - Xiaoyan Zhang
- Scientific Research Center, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China.,Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of Ministry of Education/Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Jia Liu
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Jianqing Xu
- Scientific Research Center, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China.,Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of Ministry of Education/Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Tongyu Zhu
- Scientific Research Center, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China.,Department of Urology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
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