Zika virus disrupts gene expression in human myoblasts and myotubes: Relationship with susceptibility to infection

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2022 Feb 16;16(2):e0010166. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010166. eCollection 2022 Feb.

Abstract

The tropism of Zika virus (ZIKV) has been described in the nervous system, blood, placenta, thymus, and skeletal muscle. We investigated the mechanisms of skeletal muscle susceptibility to ZIKV using an in vitro model of human skeletal muscle myogenesis, in which myoblasts differentiate into myotubes. Myoblasts were permissive to ZIKV infection, generating productive viral particles, while myotubes controlled ZIKV replication. To investigate the underlying mechanisms, we used gene expression profiling. First, we assessed gene changes in myotubes compared with myoblasts in the model without infection. As expected, we observed an increase in genes and pathways related to the contractile muscle system in the myotubes, a reduction in processes linked to proliferation, migration and cytokine production, among others, confirming the myogenic capacity of our system in vitro. A comparison between non-infected and infected myoblasts revealed more than 500 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). In contrast, infected myotubes showed almost 2,000 DEGs, among which we detected genes and pathways highly or exclusively expressed in myotubes, including those related to antiviral and innate immune responses. Such gene modulation could explain our findings showing that ZIKV also invades myotubes but does not replicate in these differentiated cells. In conclusion, we showed that ZIKV largely (but differentially) disrupts gene expression in human myoblasts and myotubes. Identifying genes involved in myotube resistance can shed light on potential antiviral mechanisms against ZIKV infection.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antiviral Agents / metabolism
  • Female
  • Gene Expression
  • Humans
  • Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / metabolism
  • Myoblasts / metabolism
  • Pregnancy
  • Zika Virus Infection* / genetics
  • Zika Virus* / physiology

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents

Grants and funding

This work was supported by FINEP-Brazil (grant no. 01.16.0078.00), partially supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under ZIKAlliance Grant Agreement no. 734548, RABICO/CAPES Project 88887.333817/2019-00, CNPq-Brazil (303170/2017-4) and FAPERJ-Brazil (26/202.903/20) to ATRV. FIOCRUZ-PASTEUR Program (IR), FIOCRUZ-Brazil (IR, DAMC, VCA and WS), and MercoSur Fund for Structural Convergence (FOCEM 03/11) to WS. This work was developed in the frameworks of the Brazilian National Institute of Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation (INCT-NIM, CNPq) and the Rio de Janeiro Research Network on Neuroinflammation (Reneurin, FAPERJ) to WS. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.