1. Academic Validation
  2. Role of heparan sulfate in the Zika virus entry, replication, and cell death

Role of heparan sulfate in the Zika virus entry, replication, and cell death

  • Virology. 2019 Mar;529:91-100. doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2019.01.019.
Huixin Gao 1 Yuxia Lin 1 Junfang He 1 Shili Zhou 1 Mujiao Liang 1 Changbai Huang 1 Xiaobo Li 1 Chao Liu 2 Ping Zhang 3
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Immunology, Institute of Human Virology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Diseases Control (Sun Yat-sen University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510080, China.
  • 2 Department of Immunology, Institute of Human Virology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Diseases Control (Sun Yat-sen University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510080, China. Electronic address: liuchao9@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
  • 3 Department of Immunology, Institute of Human Virology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Diseases Control (Sun Yat-sen University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510080, China. Electronic address: zhangp36@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
Abstract

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging arbovirus and its Infection associates with neurologic diseases. Whether heparan sulfate (HS), an attachment factor for many viruses, plays a role in the ZIKV Infection remains controversial. Our study generated several HS biosynthesis-deficient cell clones by disrupting SLC35B2, B3GAT3, or B4GALT7 gene using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. The HS deficiency did not affect the viral attachment and internalization of ZIKV, but reduced the attachment of Dengue virus (DENV) 2. The early RNA and protein levels of ZIKV and DENV2 were impaired in the HS deficient cells, while the viral yields were not accordingly reduced. Our data further showed that HS promoted the cell death induced by virus Infection, and inhibition of cell death significantly increased the viral replication of ZIKV and DENV2. Collectively, our study described an unexpected role of HS in the viral attachment, replication and cell death induced by ZIKV.

Keywords

Cell death; Heparan sulfate; Replication; Zika virus.

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