Cytotrophoblast cells are selectively permissive and favor Zika virus, but no other related flavivirus, invasion to the placental stroma

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Zika virus (ZIKV) is highly teratogenic, in contrast with dengue virus (DENV) or the yellow fever virus vaccine (YFV-17D). The mechanisms employed by ZIKV to cross the placenta need to be elucidated. METHODS Parallel infections with ZIKV, DENV and YFV-17D were compared in terms of efficiency, activation of mTOR pathways and cytokine secretion profile in human cytotrophoblastic HTR8 cells (CTB), and monocytic U937 cells, differentiated to M2 macrophages (M2-MØ). RESULTS In CTB, ZIKV replication was significantly more efficient than DENV or YFV-17D. In M2-MØ, ZIKV replication continued to be more efficient, although differences between strains were reduced. Significantly greater activation of Phospho-S6r and Phospho-AKT/Ser473 fractions in CTB infected with ZIKV than with DENV or YFV-17D, was observed. CTB treated with the mTOR inhibitors rapamycin or AZD8055, showed a 20-fold-reduction in ZIKV yield, versus 5 and 3.5-fold for DENV and YFV-17D, respectively. Finally, we detected that ZIKV infection, but not DENV or YFV-17D, efficiently inhibited the interferon response of CTB cells. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that CTB cells are permissive and act favoring ZIKV entry into the placental stroma, over DENV and YFV-17D and that the mTOR complex is a switch that enhances the replication of ZIKV in CTB cells.