Amniotic fluid proteomics in Congenital Zika Syndrome

In this study, we analyzed by a shotgun proteomic approach the amniotic fluid of pregnant women infected with Zika carrying microcephalic (ZIKV+M+) or healthy fetuses (ZIKV+M-) compared to Zika negative controls (ZIKV-M-) to identify and understand the biological process and pathways affected by CZS development. Up-abundant proteins in the ZIKV+M- group showed enrichment mainly in the extracellular matrix (ECM) structure and organization. The innate immune system (i.e. neutrophil degranulation) and fibrin clot formation processes were dysregulated in the ZIKV+M+ group, with an increase in the abundance of proteins associated with these biological processes. In both groups, a decrease in the abundance of proteins associated with neutrophil degranulation was observed. ZIKV+M+ group presented a decrease of abundance in the dysregulated extracellular matrix proteins compared to ZIKV+M-. These results could suggest that the development of microcephalic or healthy phenotypes is more associated with the ECM and immune system protein abundances than the dysregulated processes in each group.