Placental Myeloid Cells Protect against Zika Virus Vertical Transmission in a Rag1-Deficient Mouse Model.

Placental Myeloid Cells Protect against Zika Virus Vertical Transmission in a Rag1-Deficient Mouse Model. J Immunol. 2020 Jun 03;: Authors: Winkler CW, Evans AB, Carmody AB, Peterson KE Abstract The ability of Zika virus (ZIKV) to cross the placenta and infect the fetus is a key mechanism by which ZIKV causes microcephaly. How the virus crosses the placenta and the role of the immune response in this process remain unclear. In the current study, we examined how ZIKV infection affected innate immune cells within the placenta and fetus and whether these cells influenced virus vertical transmission (VTx). We found myeloid cells were elevated in the placenta of pregnant ZIKV-infected Rag1-/- mice treated with an anti-IFNAR Ab, primarily at the end of pregnancy as well as transiently in the fetus several days before birth. These cells, which included maternal monocyte/macrophages, neutrophils, and fetal myeloid cells contained viral RNA and infectious virus, suggesting they may be infected and contributing to viral replication and VTx. However, depletion of monocyte/macrophage myeloid cells from the dam during ZIKV infection resulted in increased ZIKV infection in the fetus. Myeloid cells in the fetus were not depleted in this experiment, likely because of an inability of liposome particles containing the cytotoxic drug to cross the placenta. Thus, the increased virus infection in the fetus was not the result of an impaired fetal myeloid ...
Source: Journal of Immunology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Tags: J Immunol Source Type: research