Cited by 529Mosquito-borne diseases and controlNeurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanismsVirology and Viral Diseases

Expression Analysis Highlights AXL as a Candidate Zika Virus Entry Receptor in Neural Stem Cells

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Nowakowski, Tomasz J., Pollen, Alex A., Di Lullo, Elizabeth, Sandoval-Espinosa, Carmen, Bershteyn, Marina, Kriegstein, Arnold R.·2016·Cell Stem Cell

Abstract

The recent outbreak of Zika virus (ZIKV) in Brazil has been linked to substantial increases in fetal abnormalities and microcephaly. However, information about the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms connecting viral infection to these defects remains limited. In this study we have examined the expression of receptors implicated in cell entry of several enveloped viruses including ZIKV across diverse cell types in the developing brain. Using single-cell RNA-seq and immunohistochemistry, we found that the candidate viral entry receptor AXL is highly expressed by human radial glial cells, astrocytes, endothelial cells, and microglia in developing human cortex and by progenitor cells in developing retina. We also show that AXL expression in radial glia is conserved in developing mouse and ferret cortex and in human stem cell-derived cerebral organoids, highlighting multiple experimental systems that could be applied to study mechanisms of ZIKV infectivity and effects on brain development.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.stem.2016.03.012

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  • Single-cell RNA-seq of human primary tissue showed that the candidate viral entry receptor AXL is highly expressed by cortical radial glial cells, astrocytes, endothelial cells and microglia, and also by radial-glia-like cells of brain organoids.

    “single-cell RNA-seq data from human primary tissue revealed that the candidate viral entry receptor, AXL (also known as tyrosine-protein kinase receptor UFO), is highly expressed by human cortical radial glial cells, astrocytes, endothelial cells, and microglia, as well as in radial-glia-like cells of brain organoids73.”
  • Blocking the AXL receptor reduced Zika virus infection of PSC-derived astrocytes in vitro, and genetic knockdown of AXL in a glial cell line nearly abolished infection.

    “Blocking the AXL receptor reduced ZIKV infection of PSC-derived astrocytes in vitro, and genetic knockdown of AXL in a glial cell line nearly abolished infection.”

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Authors
Nowakowski, T. J., Pollen, A. A., Di Lullo, E., Sandoval-Espinosa, C., Bershteyn, M., & Kriegstein, A. R.
Affiliations
University of California, San Francisco (US)
Corresponding author
Kriegstein, Arnold R.
Venue
Cell Stem Cell
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2016-05
Volume
18
Issue
5
Pages
591-596
ISSN
  • 1875-9777 (ISSN-L)
  • 1934-5909
OpenAlex
W2316180691
Cited by
529
References
45
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 26 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 51 · 2020: 64 · 2019: 54 · 2018: 84 · 2017: 104 · 2016: 64
FWCI
101.15
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cell stem cell (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation (DRG‐2166‐13)
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute of Mental Health (U01MH105989)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01NS035710, R01NS075998, R37NS035710)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Mosquito-borne diseases and control
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Developmental Neuroscience › Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Virology and Viral Diseases
Keywords
Zika virus, AXL receptor, viral entry receptor, neural stem cells, radial glia, brain development, brain organoids, microcephaly, microglia, astrocytes, endothelial cells, single-cell RNA sequencing, mouse cortex
MeSH terms
Zika Virus, Axl Receptor Tyrosine Kinase, Animals, Blood Vessels, Cerebral Cortex, Disease Models, Animal, Ferrets, Neuroglia, Proto-Oncogene Proteins, Receptors, Virus, Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases, Pluripotent Stem Cells, Mice, Virus Internalization, Neurogenesis, Neural Stem Cells

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