학술논문
Translocator protein (TSPO) is a biomarker of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection-associated neuroinflammation
Document Type
article
Author
Source
Emerging Microbes and Infections, Vol 13, Iss 1 (2024)
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
22221751
2222-1751
2222-1751
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 ex vivo and in vitro using radioactive small molecule probes that specifically bind to TSPO, such as [3H]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.