Zika virus-induced neuro-ocular pathology in immunocompetent mice correlates with anti-ganglioside autoantibodies

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Jacob T. Beaver, Emory University; Lisa K. Mills, Emory University; Dominika Swieboda, Emory University; Nadia Lelutiu, Emory University; Edward S. Esser, Emory University; Olivia Q. Antao, Emory University; Eugenia Scountzou, EyeVetSurg Small Animal Clinic; Dohnide T. Williams, Emory University; Nikolaos Papaioannou, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki; Elizabeth Q. Littauer, Emory University; Ioanna Skountzou, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2020-10-01
• Publisher: W B SAUNDERS CO-ELSEVIER INC
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2020 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2020.1775459
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF KIDNEY DISEASES
• Volume: 76
• Issue: 4
• Start Page: 2092
• End Page: 2108
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by NIAID and CEIRS – HHSN272201400004C NIAID National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases [HHSN272201400004C NIAID]
• Keywords: BRAIN; MOUSE MODEL; zika virus; INFECTION; NEUROINFLAMMATION; auto-antibodies; MYELIN; neuro-ocular pathology; Science & Technology; Flavivirus; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; GUILLAIN-BARRE-SYNDROME; PAIN; RESPONSES; Urology & Nephrology
• Research Categories: Biology, Neuroscience; Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

A severe consequence of adult Zika virus (ZIKV) infection is Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), where autoreactive antibodies attack peripheral and central nervous systems (CNS) resulting in neuro-ocular pathology and fatal complications. During virally induced GBS, autoimmune brain demyelination and macular degeneration correlate with low virus neutralization and elevated antibody-mediated infection among Fcγ-R bearing cells. The use of interferon-deficient mice for ZIKV studies limits elucidation of antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) and long-term pathology (≥120 days), due to high lethality post-infection. Here we used immunocompetent BALB/c mice, which generate robust humoral immune responses, to investigate long-term impacts of ZIKV infection. A high infectious dose (1x106 FFU per mouse) of ZIKV was administered intravenously. Control animals received a single dose of anti-IFNAR blocking monoclonal antibody and succumbed to lethal neurological pathology within 13 days. Immunocompetent mice exhibited motor impairment such as arthralgia, as well as ocular inflammation resulting in retinal vascular damage, and corneal edema. This pathology persisted 100 days after infection with evidence of chronic inflammation in immune-privileged tissues, demyelination in the hippocampus and motor cortex regions of the brain, and retinal/corneal hyperplasia. Anti-inflammatory transcriptional responses were tissue-specific, likely contributing to differential pathology in these organs. Pathology in immunocompetent animals coincided with weakly neutralizing antibodies and increased ADE among ZIKV strains (PRVABC59, FLR, and MR766) and all Dengue virus (DENV) serotypes. These antibodies were autoreactive to GBS-associated gangliosides. This study highlights the importance of longevity studies in ZIKV infection and confirms the role of anti-ganglioside antibodies in ZIKV-induced neuro-ocular disease.