Translocator Protein (TSPO) is a Biomarker of Zika Virus (ZIKV) Infection-associated Neuroinflammation

Overview

Journal Emerg Microbes Infect

Specialty Infectious Diseases

Date 2024 Apr 25

PMID 38662785

Authors

Carla Bianca Luena Victorio

Arun Ganasarajah

Wisna Novera

Joanne Ong

Rasha Msallam

Ann-Marie Chacko

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Zika is a systemic inflammatory disease caused by infection with Zika virus (ZIKV). ZIKV infection in adults is associated with encephalitis marked by elevated expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, as well as increased brain infiltration of immune cells. In this study, we demonstrate that ZIKV encephalitis in a mouse infection model exhibits increased brain TSPO expression. TSPO expression on brain-resident and infiltrating immune cells in ZIKV infection correlates with disease and inflammation status in the brain. Brain TSPO expression can also be sensitively detected and using radioactive small molecule probes that specifically bind to TSPO, such as [H]PK11195. TSPO expression on brain-resident and infiltrating immune cells is a biomarker of ZIKV neuroinflammation, which can also be a general biomarker of acute viral neuroinflammatory disease.

Citing Articles

Investigation of the association between circulating inflammatory proteins and encephalitis risk in Europeans by two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis.

Liu Y, Wang X, Zhao Q, Wei J, Yang S Front Neurol. 2025; 15:1450735.

PMID: 40008261 PMC: 11850273. DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1450735.

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