BHU raises prospects of Zika virus therapy

New drugs could soon be in the offing for Zika virus infection with a team of scientists at the Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS) in Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, getting new insights into how the virus multiplies inside the host. The researchers have found that the virus interacts with a set of cells called microglial cells, which protect the brain from infections and that a protein in the virus called ZIKV-NS1 plays an important role in its replication and immune evasion. The study demonstrated that ZIKV-NS1 compromised the immune response by increasing the expression of a molecule called microRNA-146a in the microglial cells. The increased expression of microRNA-146a targets and reduces the expression of two genes - TRAF6 and STAT1, which leads to reduced production of cytokines and interferons from human microglial cells. This results in the suppression of cellular immune response against the Zika virus. This suppression of the host’s immune response by ZIKV-NS1 might be a strategy adopted by the Zika virus to promote its multiplication inside the host.