Structural investigation of C6/36 and Vero cell cultures infected with a Brazilian Zika virus

PLoS One. 2017 Sep 12;12(9):e0184397. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184397. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a member of the flavivirus genus, and its genome is approximately 10.8 kilobases of positive-strand RNA enclosed in a capsid and surrounded by a membrane. Studies on the replication dynamics of ZIKV are scarce, which limits the development of antiviral agents and vaccines directed against ZIKV. In this study, Aedes albopictus mosquito lineage cells (C6/36 cells) and African green monkey kidney epithelial cells (Vero cells) were inoculated with a ZIKV sample isolated from a Brazilian patient, and the infection was characterized by immunofluorescence staining, phase contrast light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and real-time RT-PCR. The infection was observed in both cell lineages, and ZIKV particles were observed inside lysosomes, the rough endoplasmic reticulum and viroplasm-like structures. The susceptibility of C6/36 and Vero cells to ZIKV infection was demonstrated. Moreover, this study showed that part of the replicative cycle may occur within viroplasm-like structures, which has not been previously demonstrated in other flaviviruses.

MeSH terms

  • Aedes
  • Animals
  • Chlorocebus aethiops
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum / ultrastructure*
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum / virology
  • Lysosomes / ultrastructure*
  • Lysosomes / virology
  • Vero Cells
  • Virus Replication
  • Zika Virus / pathogenicity*
  • Zika Virus / physiology

Grants and funding

This study was funded by Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Faperj, and Ana Maria Bispo de Filippis is supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 program under grant agreement No. 734857. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.