Convergence and divergence between the transcriptional responses to Zika virus infection and prenatal irradiation

In a recent paper in Cell Death and Disease, Di Cunto and co-workers found that infection of human neural progenitors (hNPCs) with Zika virus (ZIKV) induced transcriptional responses that were partly comparable to three different genetic mutations (CitK− /−, Magoh+/ −, and conditional Elp3−/− mice), which result in microcephaly in mice. The highest overlap between these different conditions was found in the activation of P53 target genes.