Microcephaly-like phenotype triggered by novel reassortant and prototypic Oropouche Virus strains in brain organoids

Abstract

Oropouche virus (OROV) is an emerging arbovirus currently spreading across South America, with increasing reports of neurological manifestations, severe systemic disease, and congenital abnormalities. Although traditionally associated with mild febrile illness, the recent geographic expansion and surge in OROV outbreaks have prompted attention to its neurotropic potential. Here, we investigated the impact of OROV infection on human neural development using neural stem cells (NSCs) and brain organoids derived from induced pluripotent stem cells. Recent OROV isolates exhibiting genomic reassortment and associated with increased neurological manifestations were compared with a prototypical strain for the ability to infect NSCs, early-stage organoids, and more mature cortical-like tissues. OROV infected NSCs efficiently, leading to widespread cell death, depletion of proliferative progenitors, and disruption of neuroepithelial organization. Transcriptomic profiling of infected NSCs revealed a robust reduction of antiviral response genes and an enrichment of pathways related to viral replication, apoptosis, and the inhibition of stem cell maintenance and neuronal differentiation. These molecular signatures aligned with the phenotypic collapse of progenitor pools and cortical structure observed in organoids. OROV antigens were detected in both astrocytes and neurons, with associated structural degeneration. Although a substantial overlap in differentially expressed genes was observed between the two viral strains, some strain-specific transcriptional responses were detected. However, these modest differences did not translate into distinct cytopathogenic effects between the two viral strains. These phenotypes, including the reduced growth of infected organoids, resemble those previously described with Zika virus in the same cellular models, supporting the hypothesis that OROV may impair brain development. Together, these results reveal a previously unrecognized neuroteratogenic potential of OROV strains and provide mechanistic insight into the potential of OROV to induce microcephaly-like phenotypes, highlighting its relevance as a significant threat to maternal-fetal health.