Lipid droplets in zika neuroinfection: Potential targets for intervention?

Abstract

Lipid droplets are evolutionarily conserved lipid-enriched organelles with a diverse array of cell- and stimulus-regulated proteins. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that intracellular pathogens exploit lipid droplets as energy sources, replication sites, and part of the mechanisms of immune evasion. Nevertheless, lipid droplets can also favor the host as part of the immune and inflammatory response to pathogens. The functions of lipid droplets in the central nervous system have gained great interest due to their presence in various cell types in the brain and for their suggested involvement in neurodevelopment and neurodegenerative diseases. Only recently have the roles of lipid droplets in neuroinfections begun to be explored. Recent findings reveal that lipid remodeling and increased lipid droplet biogenesis play important roles for ZIKV replication and pathogenesis in neural cells. Moreover, blocking lipid droplet formation by targeting DGAT-1 in vivo inhibited virus replication and inflammation in the brain. Therefore, targeting lipid metabolism and lipid droplet biogenesis may represent potential strategies for anti-ZIKV treatment development. Here, we review the progress in understanding lipid droplet functions in the central nervous system in the context of the host response to zika infection.