Zika virus (ZIKV) is a flavivirus that is responsible for an unprecedented current epidemic in Brazil and the Americas1,2. ZIKV has been causally associated with fetal microcephaly, intrauterine growth restriction, and other birth defects in both humans3–8 and mice9–11. The rapid development of a safe and effective ZIKV vaccine is a global health priority1,2, but very little is currently known about ZIKV immunology and mechanisms of immune protection. Here we show that a single immunization of a plasmid DNA vaccine or a purified inactivated virus vaccine provides complete protection in susceptible mice against challenge with a ZIKV outbreak strain from northeast Brazil. This ZIKV strain has recently been shown to cross the placenta and to induce fetal microcephaly and other congenital malformations in mice11. We produced DNA vaccines expressing full-length ZIKV pre-membrane and envelope (prM-Env) as well as a series of deletion mutants. The full-length prM-Env DNA vaccine, but not the deletion mutants, afforded complete protection against ZIKV as measured by absence of detectable viremia following challenge, and protective efficacy correlated with Env-specific antibody titers. Adoptive transfer of purified IgG from vaccinated mice conferred passive protection, and CD4 and CD8 T lymphocyte depletion in vaccinated mice did not abrogate protective efficacy. These data demonstrate that protection against ZIKV challenge can be achieved by single-shot subunit and inactivated virus vaccines in mice and that Env-specific antibody titers represent key immunologic correlates of protection. Our findings suggest that the development of a ZIKV vaccine for humans will likely be readily achievable.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is responsible for a major ongoing epidemic in the Americas and has been causally associated with fetal microcephaly. The development of a safe and effective ZIKV vaccine is therefore an urgent global health priority. Here we demonstrate that three different vaccine platforms protect against ZIKV challenge in rhesus monkeys. A purified inactivated virus vaccine induced ZIKV-specific neutralizing antibodies and completely protected monkeys against ZIKV strains from both Brazil and Puerto Rico. Purified immunoglobulin from vaccinated monkeys conferred passive protection in adoptive transfer studies. A plasmid DNA vaccine and a single-shot recombinant rhesus adenovirus serotype 52 vector expressing ZIKV prM-Env also elicited neutralizing antibodies and completely protected monkeys against ZIKV challenge. These data support the rapid clinical development of ZIKV vaccines for humans.

Stem cells reside in a specialized regulatory microenvironment or niche1,2, where they receive appropriate support for maintaining self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation capacity1-3. The niche may also protect stem cells from environmental insults3 including cytotoxic chemotherapy and perhaps pathogenic immunity4. The testis, hair follicle, and placenta are all sites of residence for stem cells and are immune suppressive environments, called immune privileged (IP) sites, where multiple mechanisms conspire to prevent immune attack, even enabling prolonged survival of foreign allografts without immunosuppression (IS)4. We sought to determine if somatic stem cell niches more broadly are IP sites by examining the hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (HSPC) niche1,2,5-7 in the bone marrow (BM), a site where immune reactivity exists8,9. We observed persistence of allo-HSPCs in non-irradiated recipients for 30 days without IS with the same survival frequency compared to syngeneic HSPCs. These HSPCs were lost after the depletion of FoxP3 regulatory T cells (Tregs). High resolution in vivo imaging over time demonstrated marked co-localization of HSPCs with Tregs that accumulated on the endosteal surface in the calvarial and trabecular BM. Tregs appear to participate in creating a localized zone where HSPCs reside and where Tregs are necessary for allo-HSPC persistence. In addition to processes supporting stem cell function, the niche will provide a relative sanctuary from immune attack.

SUMMARY Zika virus (ZIKV) is associated with severe neuropathology in neonates as well as Guillain-Barre syndrome and other neurologic disorders in adults. Prolonged viral shedding has been reported in semen, suggesting the presence of anatomic viral reservoirs. Here we show that ZIKV can persist in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and lymph nodes (LN) of infected rhesus monkeys for weeks after virus has been cleared from peripheral blood, urine, and mucosal secretions. ZIKV-specific neutralizing antibodies correlated with rapid clearance of virus in peripheral blood but remained undetectable in CSF for the duration of the study. Viral persistence in both CSF and LN correlated with upregulation of mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), proinflammatory, and anti-apoptotic signaling pathways, as well as downregulation of extracellular matrix and cell signaling pathways. These data raise the possibility that persistent or occult neurologic and lymphoid disease may occur following clearance of peripheral virus in ZIKV-infected individuals.

Departments of the Army and Defense and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.