title: Determination of the Cell Permissiveness Spectrum, Mode of RNA Replication, and RNA-Protein Interaction of Zika Virus.
abstract: Two lineages of Zika virus (ZIKV) have been classified according to the phylogenetic analysis: African and Asian lineages. It is unclear whether differences exist between the two strains in host cell permissiveness, this information is important for understanding viral pathogenesis and designing anti-viral strategies.
  
  
  
  In the present study, we comparatively studied the permissive spectrum of human cells for both the African (MR766) and Asian strains (PRVABC59) using an RNA in situ hybridization (RISH) to visualize RNA replication, an immunofluorescence technology, and a western blot assay to determine viral protein production, and a real-time RT-PCR to examine viral RNA multiplication level. The experiments were undertaken in the condition of cell culture.
  
  
  
  We identified several human cell lines, including fibroblast, epithelial cells, brain cells, stem cells, and blood cells that are susceptible for the infection of both Asian and African strains. We did not find any differences between the MR766 and the PRVABC59 in the permissiveness, infection rate, and replication modes. Inconsistent to a previous report (Hamel et al. JVI 89:8880-8896, 2015), using RISH or real-time RT-PCR, we found that human foreskin fibroblast cells were not permissive for ZIKV infection. Instead, human lung fibroblast cells (MRC-5) were fully permissive for ZIKV infection. Surprisingly, a direct interaction of ZIKV RNA with envelop (E) protein (a structure protein) was demonstrated by an RNA chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay. Three binding sites were identified in the ZIKV RNA genome for the interaction with the E protein.
  
  
  
  Our results imply that the E protein may be important for viral RNA replication, and provide not only the information of ZIKV permissiveness that guides the usage of human cells for the ZIKV studies, but also the insight into the viral RNA-E protein interaction that may be targeted for intervention by designing small molecule drugs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Howard University College of Medicine, Seeley Mudd Building, Room 315, 520 W Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20059, USA.
authors.forename: Wangheng
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Howard University College of Medicine, Seeley Mudd Building, Room 315, 520 W Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20059, USA.
authors.forename: Najealicka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Howard University College of Medicine, Seeley Mudd Building, Room 315, 520 W Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20059, USA.
authors.forename: Lilian Akello
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Obwolo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Howard University, Washington, DC, 20059, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, Howard University/College of Dentistry, Washington, DC, 20059, USA.
authors.forename: Xiaowu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Howard University, Washington, DC, 20059, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Howard University College of Medicine, Seeley Mudd Building, Room 315, 520 W Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20059, USA. qiyi.tang@howard.edu.
authors.forename: Qiyi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D001208:Asia; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002460:Cell Line; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006801:Humans; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000235:genetics; D000071244:Zika Virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity*
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins
keywords: Permissiveness; RNA Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP); RNA in situ hybridization (RISH); RNA replication; Zika virus (ZIKV)