The ZIKV helicase, which plays a pivotal role in viral RNA replication, is an attractive target for therapy. We determined the crystal structures of ZIKV helicase-ATP-Mn2+ and ZIKV helicase-RNA. This is the first structure of any flavivirus helicase bound to ATP. Comparisons with related flavivirus helicases have shown that although the critical P-loop in the […]
ZIKV relies on its NS2B/NS3 protease for polyprotein processing; hence, this enzyme is an attractive drug target. The 2.7 Å crystal structure of ZIKV protease in complex with a peptidomimetic boronic-acid inhibitor reveals a cyclic diester between the boronic acid and glycerol. The P2 4-aminomethylphenylalanine moiety of the inhibitor forms a salt-bridge with the non-conserved […]
Três formulações candidatas a se tornarem vacina contra o vírus zika se mostraram eficazes e seguras em testes com macacos concluídos recentemente nos Estados Unidos. No final de junho, pesquisadores brasileiros e norte-americanos haviam relatado em um artigo na revista Nature o efeito protetor em camundongos de duas classes de vacinas: um imunizante produzido com […]
Zika virus (ZIKV) is responsible for a major ongoing epidemic in the Americas and has been causally associated with fetal microcephaly. The development of a safe and effective ZIKV vaccine is therefore an urgent global health priority. Here we demonstrate that three different vaccine platforms protect against ZIKV challenge in rhesus monkeys. A purified inactivated […]
IBM today announced that as part of its Impact Grants Program, it will be donating its technology and expertise to help fight Zika virus. Working with Brazil’s Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), a research institution affiliated with the Brazilian Ministry of Health and a world leader on Zika research, the computer technology will help the scientists track […]
Currently there are no approved vaccines or specific therapies to prevent or treat Zika virus (ZIKV) infection. We interrogated a library of FDA-approved drugs for their ability to block infection of human HuH-7 cells by a newly isolated ZIKV strain (ZIKV MEX_I_7). More than 20 out of 774 tested compounds decreased ZIKV infection in our […]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that Zika virus (ZIKV) causes congenital microcephaly. ZIKV now joins five other neuroteratogenic (NT) viruses in humans and ZIKV research is in its infancy. In addition, there is only one other NT human arbovirus (Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus), which is also poorly understood. But further insight […]
Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy has emerged as a global public health problem because of its ability to cause severe congenital disease. Here, we developed six mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against ZIKV including four (ZV-48, ZV-54, ZV-64, and ZV-67) that were ZIKV specific and neutralized infection of African, Asian, and American strains to varying […]
Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy is linked to severe birth defects, but mother-to-fetus transmission routes are unknown. We infected different primary cell types from mid- and late-gestation placentas and explants from first-trimester chorionic villi with the prototype Ugandan and a recently isolated Nicaraguan ZIKV strain. ZIKV infects primary human placental cells and explants—cytotrophoblasts, endothelial […]
Pesquisadores dos Estados Unidos identificaram anticorpos em ratos que neutralizam o vírus da zika e podem prevenir uma infecção pelo vírus, segundo estudo publicado nesta quarta-feira (27) na revista científica americana “Cell”. Esta descoberta representa um passo importante para desenvolver uma vacina, assim como um melhor exame de diagnóstico da doença e, potencialmente, novas terapias […]
