Zika virus hijacks neurodevelopmental protein to replicate

In a paper published in Science, University of Cambridge researchers show the Zika virus hijacks neurodevelopmental protein Musashi RNA-binding protein 1 (MSI1) in neural stem cells, increasing viral replication and preventing neural stem cell function. The study is the first to identify the mechanistic link between Zika infection and impaired neural development including microcephaly.

MSI1 is highly expressed in neural progenitor cells in the human embryonic brain, but is largely absent from mature neurons. The researchers observed that MSI1 is mutated in individuals with a form of inherited microcephaly, confirming the protein's contribution to brain size...