Mechanisms of Host Cell Binding and Neurotropism of Zika Virus

Abstract

Zika virus (ZIKV) recently emerged in the Western Hemisphere with previously unrecognized or unreported clinical presentations. Here, we identify two distinct binding mechanisms of ancestral and emergent ZIKV strains featuring the envelope (E) protein residue ASN154 and viral phosphatidylserine (PS). Short (20-mer) peptides representing the region containing ASN154 from strains PRVABC59 (Puerto Rico 2015) and MR_766 (Uganda 1947) were exposed to neuronal cells and fibroblasts, expecting interactions to be representative of ZIKV E protein/cell interactions, and bound MDCK or Vero cells and primary neurons significantly above a scrambled PRVABC59 control peptide. Peptides also significantly inhibited Vero cell adsorption by ZIKV strains MR_766 and PRVABC59, indicating that we have identified a binding mechanism of ancestral African ZIKV strains and emergent Western Hemisphere strains.\n\nPretreatment of ZIKV MR_766 and PRVABC59 with the PS-binding protein annexin V significantly inhibited replication of PRVABC59, but not MR_766, suggesting that Western hemisphere strains are additionally utilizing PS-mediated entry to infect host cells. Taken together, these data indicate that we have identified an ancestral binding mechanism of ZIKV, and a secondary binding mechanism utilized by Western Hemisphere strains.