Zika virus infection of retinal cells and the developing mouse eye induces host responses that contrasts to the brain and dengue virus infection.

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection causes ocular and neurological pathologies with ZIKV-induction of developmental abnormalities following in utero infection a major concern. The study here has compared ZIKV and the related dengue virus (DENV) infection in the eye and brain. In vitro, both ZIKV and DENV could infect cell lines representing the retinal pigmented epithelium, endothelial cells, and Mueller cells, with distinct innate responses in each cell type.

Viperin is anti-viral but is dispensable for restricting dengue virus replication or induction of innate and inflammatory responses .

Viperin has antiviral function against many viruses, including dengue virus (DENV), when studied in cells in culture. Here, the antiviral actions of viperin were defined both and in a mouse model of DENV infection. Murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) derived from mice lacking viperin (vip) showed enhanced DENV infection, accompanied by increased IFN-β and induction of ISGs; IFIT1 and CXCL-10 but not IRF7, when compared to wild-type (WT) MEFs.