Our human neurons are none too happy about being infected with ZIKV

Zika virus is spreading rapidly in the Western hemisphere and is linked to fetal microcephaly. We recently found that new Zika virus strains suppress the antiviral response but not the stress response in human epithelial cells. We hope to determine how Zika virus can suppress the antiviral and stress responses in infected human and mouse cortical neurons. Defining how Zika virus modulates these pathways will help identify interactions that can be targeted for antiviral development.