Structure of Zika virus determined

NIAID grantees Richard Kuhn, Ph.D., Michael Rossmann, Ph.D., and their colleagues at Purdue University created the picture of a mature Zika virus particle with a technique called cryo-electron microscropy. The process involves freezing virus particles and firing a stream of high-energy electrons through the sample to create tens of thousands of two-dimensional electron micrograph images that are then combined to yield a composite high-resolution, three-dimensional view of the virus. The team included NIAID investigator Theodore Pierson, Ph.D.

The difference visualized by the researchers is in a region of the E glycoprotein that flaviviruses may use to attach to some human cells. The variation in the E glycoprotein of Zika virus could explain the ability of the virus to attack nerve cells, as well as the associations of Zika virus infection with birth defects and the autoimmune-neurological Guillian-Barré syndrome. The structure could inform vaccine development, as the Zika E glycoprotein is a key target of immune responses against the virus. The information may also be useful for designing treatments such as antiviral drugs or antibodies that interfere with E glycoprotein function.

Further, details on the structural differences between E glycoprotein of Zika virus and the same protein in dengue virus may make it possible to create diagnostic tests that can distinguish Zika virus infection from dengue infection, a critical need in countries where both Zika and dengue viruses are circulating.