| First Author | Karuppan MKM | Year | 2020 |
| Journal | Viruses | Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 6 | PubMed ID | 32498399 |
| Mgi Jnum | J:302505 | Mgi Id | MGI:6508181 |
| Doi | 10.3390/v12060608 | Citation | Karuppan MKM, et al. (2020) Reduced-Beclin1-Expressing Mice Infected with Zika-R103451 and Viral-Associated Pathology during Pregnancy. Viruses 12(6) |
| abstractText | Here, we used a mouse model with defective autophagy to further decipher the role of Beclin1 in the infection and disease of Zika virus (ZIKV)-R103451. Hemizygous (Becn1(+/-)) and wild-type (Becn1(+/+)) pregnant mice were transiently immunocompromised using the anti-interferon alpha/beta receptor subunit 1 monoclonal antibody MAR1-5A3. Despite a low mortality rate among the infected dams, 25% of Becn1(+/-) offspring were smaller in size and had smaller, underdeveloped brains. This phenotype became apparent after 2-to 3-weeks post-birth. Furthermore, the smaller-sized pups showed a decrease in the mRNA expression levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 and the expression levels of several microcephaly associated genes, when compared to their typical-sized siblings. Neuronal loss was also noticeable in brain tissues that were removed postmortem. Further analysis with murine mixed glia, derived from ZIKV-infected Becn1(+/-) and Becn1(+/+) pups, showed greater infectivity in glia derived from the Becn1(+/-) genotype, along with a significant increase in pro-inflammatory molecules. In the present study, we identified a link by which defective autophagy is causally related to increased inflammatory molecules, reduced growth factor, decreased expression of microcephaly-associated genes, and increased neuronal loss. Specifically, we showed that a reduced expression of Beclin1 aggravated the consequences of ZIKV infection on brain development and qualifies Becn1 as a susceptibility gene of ZIKV congenital syndrome. |
