A study conducted by the University of California and published in the journal mBio indicates that the Zika virus hijacks a human protein called ANKLE2, which is extremely important for brain development, for its own benefit. For this reason, in cases of infection in pregnant women, as Zika is able to cross the placenta, it ends up causing cases of microcephaly, a condition in which the baby’s brain is smaller than expected.
“It is a situation in which Zika is in the wrong place at the wrong time”, highlighted the professor in the Department of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics and Chemical Engineering at the university and main author of the studyPriya Shah.
The work demonstrates that viruses close to Zika, such as dengue fever and yellow fever, also sequester the ANKLE2 protein for the same purpose. For researchers, the discovery could pave the way for the development of vaccines and other types of treatments against so-called arboviruses.
Zika syndrome
According to the Ministry of Health, congenital Zika syndrome comprises a set of congenital anomalies that may include visual, auditory and neuropsychomotor changes that occur in embryos or fetuses exposed to the infection during pregnancy. Such changes can vary in severity, and the earlier the infection occurs in pregnancy, the more serious these signs and symptoms tend to be.
The main form of transmission of the infection in pregnant women is through the bite of the female Aedes aegypti mosquito, but transmission can also occur through sexual intercourse with infected individuals or blood transfusion, the latter of which, according to the ministry, has low risk due to donor screening and hematological testing.
The syndrome was discovered in 2015, due to changes in the pattern of occurrence of microcephaly in live births in Brazil. At the time, the event was considered a public health emergency of national and, later, international importance. Some time later, it was found that cases of microcephaly, which also occurred with other brain anomalies and neurological changes, were associated with Zika virus infection during pregnancy.
This content was originally published in Gene hijacking after Zika infection causes microcephaly, says study on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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