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Varese A, Dantas E, Paletta A, Fitzgerald W, Di Diego García F, Cabrerizo G, Erra Diaz F, Defelipe LA, Pallares H, Dodes Traian M, Gamarnik A, Geffner J, Remes Lenicov F, Margolis L, Ceballos A. Extracellular acidosis enhances Zika virus infection both in human cells and ex-vivo tissue cultures from female reproductive tract. Emerg Microbes Infect 2021; 10:1169-1179. [PMID: 34013833 PMCID: PMC8205022 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2021.1932606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) is a flavivirus transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes, but unlike other flaviviruses, ZIKV can be sexually transmitted by vaginal intercourse. The healthy vaginal pH ranges from 4.0 to 6.0, reaching values of 6.0-7.0 after semen deposition. Here, we report that low extracellular pH values (range 6.2-6.6) dramatically increase ZIKV infection on cell lines of different origin including some derived from the female genital tract and monocyte-derived macrophages. Furthermore, low pH significantly increased ZIKV infection of human ectocervix and endocervix cultured ex-vivo. Enhancement of infection by low pH was also observed using different ZIKV strains and distinct methods to evaluate viral infection, i.e. plaque assays, RT-PCR, flow cytometry, and fluorescence microscopy. Analysis of the mechanisms involved revealed that the enhancement of ZIKV infection induced by low pH was associated with increased binding of the viral particles to the heparan sulphate expressed on the target cell surface. Acidosis represents a critical but generally overlooked feature of the female genital tract, with major implications for sexual transmission diseases. Our results suggest that low vaginal pH might promote male-to-female transmission of ZIKV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Varese
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - E Dantas
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - A Paletta
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - W Fitzgerald
- Section on Intercellular Interaction, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - F Di Diego García
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - G Cabrerizo
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - F Erra Diaz
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - L A Defelipe
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, IQUIBICEN-CONICET, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - H Pallares
- Fundación Instituto Leloir-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - M Dodes Traian
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, IQUIBICEN-CONICET, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - A Gamarnik
- Fundación Instituto Leloir-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - J Geffner
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - F Remes Lenicov
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - L Margolis
- Section on Intercellular Interaction, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - A Ceballos
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
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