Identification of genes involved in enterovirus 71 infected SK-N-SH cells

The enterovirus 71 (EV71) is the major pathogen of hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) and has been associated with severe neurological disease in children under 5 years of age. The molecular mechanisms underlying the response of human neural cells to EV71 infection still remain unclear. In this study, the genome microarray was employed to perform transcriptome profiling analysis in human neuroblastoma SK-N-SH cells infected by EV71. The results indicated that EV71 infection lead to altered expression of 87 human mRNA. The up-regulated gene mainly include the cytokine and chemokine, ubiquitin mediated proteolysis, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, p53 signaling pathway, apoptosis, leukocyte transendothelial migration, MAPK signaling pathway and Jak-STAT signaling pathway, etc. Finally, the microarray results were validated using real-time RT-PCR and ELISA in the RNA and protein level, respectively. Our results suggested that the high fatality rate of EV71 infection probably derived from a severe immune response caused by cytokines and chemokines. The findings will help to better understand the host responses to EV71 infection and provide the potential strategy for prevention and control of EV71 infection.