Advances in the research and development of therapeutic antibodies against the Zika virus

摘要

The Zika virus(ZIKV)is an arbovirus in the same family,Flaviviridae,as the dengue virus(DENV),the West Nile virus,the yellow fever virus,and the Japanese encephalitis virus.ZIKV has been a recent research focus because of its close association with severe human diseases and syndromes,particularly congenital Zika syndrome,which includes fetal microcephaly and other brain abnormalities.1 The ZIKV envelope(E)protein is a major structural protein involved in receptor binding,viral entry,and fusion.It is arranged as a dimer,with each monomer consisting of three domains(DI,DII,and DIII),a stem region,and a transmembrane region.2 The ZIKV E protein induces the production of potent neutralizing antibodies against ZIKV and is thus a key target for the development of therapeutic ZIKV antibodies.