Invitrogen™ Zika Virus NS3 (strain H/PF/2013) Polyclonal Antibody

Description

Store as concentrated solution. Centrifuge briefly prior to opening vial.

Zika virus is a flavivirus discovered in 1947, but the association between Zika virus infection and brain disorders was not demonstrated until 2015 in Brazil. Infection mostly poses a threat to women during pregnancy, since it may cause microcephaly and other neurological dysfunctions in the developing fetus. ZIKV NS3 expression alone may induce BMP2 maturation, osteogenic gene expression and calcification, but purified NS3 protease has been reported to effectively cleave pro-BMP2 in vitro to generate biologically active mature BMP2. These findings highlight ZIKV-induced calcification where the NS3 protease subverts the BMP2-mediated osteogenic signalling pathway to trigger brain calcification. The nonstructural NS3 protein is essential for virus replication because it helps to remodel the cellular microenvironment. Several reports show that this protease can process cellular substrates and thereby modify cellular pathways that are important for the virus.