Microparticle-mediated VZV propagation and endothelial activation: mechanism of VZV vasculopathy

Objective: Varicella zoster virus (VZV) can spread anterogradely and infect cerebral arteries causing VZV vasculopathy and arterial ischaemic stroke (AIS). In this study we tested the hypothesis that virus-infected cerebrovascular fibroblasts undergo phenotypic changes that promote vascular remodeling and facilitate virus transmission in an in vitro model of VZV vasculopathy. The aims of this project were therefore: (i) to examine the changes that virus-infected Human brain adventitial vascular fibroblasts (HBVAF) undergo in an in vitro model of VZV vasculopathy; and to (ii) identify disease biomarkers relating to VZV related vasculopathy.
Methods: HBVAF were infected with VZV, and their ability to migrate, proliferate, transdifferentiate and interact with endothelial cells was studied with flow cytometry. Microparticles (MP) released from these cells were isolated, and imaged with transmission electron microscopy; and their protein content analysed with mass spectrometry. Circulating ...