ZikaBase: An integrated ZIKV- Human Interactome Map database.

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Bioinformatics
• Systems Biology

Background:

• Zika virus (ZIKV) re-emergence poses a significant global health threat, infecting over 1.5 million people.
• The molecular mechanisms and pathogenesis of ZIKV remain poorly understood due to limited models and public resources for ZIKV-human protein interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To curate and analyze ZIKV-human protein interactions.
• To construct a comprehensive ZIKV-Human Interactome Map.
• To develop an integrated database, ZikaBase, for the research community.

Main Methods:

• Literature mining to identify direct ZIKV-human interactions and associated genes.
• RNA-Seq analysis to identify Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) in ZIKV-infected cells.
• Bioinformatic analysis, including enrichment analysis, to construct the interactome map and analyze pathway modulation.

Main Results:

• 11 direct interaction and 12 associated genes were curated from literature.
• 3742 DEGs were identified from RNA-Seq data.
• Enrichment analysis indicated that direct and associated genes are crucial for viral entry.
• ZIKV infection was found to modulate 32% of signal pathways and 27% of immune system pathways.

Conclusions:

• The ZIKV-Human Interactome Map provides insights into ZIKV pathogenesis.
• ZikaBase serves as a valuable, accessible resource for virology research.
• Understanding ZIKV-host interactions is critical for developing effective therapeutic strategies.