Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31665341›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of infectious diseases2020

Varicella-Zoster Virus Infection of Primary Human Spinal Astrocytes Produces Intracellular Amylin, Amyloid-β, and an Amyloidogenic Extracellular Environment.

Andrew N Bubak, Christina N Como, Christina M Coughlan, Noah R Johnson, James E Hassell, Teresa Mescher, Christy S Niemeyer, Ravi Mahalingam, Randall J Cohrs, Timothy D Boyd and 3 more

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of infectious diseases, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
38citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
3.4field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

38 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 47 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. The association between varicella zoster virus and dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2024
    Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Varicella zoster virus infection.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2026
    Review
  4. Varicella zoster virus and the central nervous system.Nature reviews. Microbiology · 2026
    Review
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Herpes zoster vaccination and cognitive disorders in older adults.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Biological relevance ofMicrobiology and molecular biology reviews : MMBR · 2025
    Review
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Review
  16. Review
  17. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Andrew N BubakDepartment of Neurology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
Christina N ComoDepartment of Neurology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
Christina M CoughlanDepartment of Neurology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
Noah R JohnsonDepartment of Neurology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
James E HassellDepartment of Neurology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
Teresa MescherDepartment of Neurology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
Christy S NiemeyerDepartment of Neurology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
Ravi MahalingamDepartment of Neurology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
Randall J CohrsDepartment of Neurology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
Timothy D BoydDepartment of Neurology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
Huntington PotterDepartment of Neurology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
Holger A RussBarbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
Maria A NagelDepartment of Neurology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
University of Colorado Denver · USRocky Mountain MS Center · US

Funding

VARICELLA ZOSTER VIRUS VASCULOPATHY: CHANGING CLINICAL PRACTICEP01AG032958 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI NAGEL, MARIA ACENA · 2009 to 2023
$30.3M
ZEBRAFISH TRANSGENIC CORE - ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS CORE CENTERP30NS048154 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI RIBERA, ANGELES BADELL · 2004 to 2020
$10.1M
Neurobiology of Varicella Zoster VirusR01NS093716 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI COHRS, RANDALL J. · 2015 to 2019
$2.2M
Purinergic Signaling in Varicella Zoster Virus VasculopathyR01NS094758 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI NAGEL, MARIA ACENA · 2015 to 2018
$1.4M
NIA NIH HHS P01 AG032958NINDS NIH HHS P30 NS048154NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS093716NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS094758
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHerpes zoster is linked to amyloid-associated diseases, including dementia, macular degeneration, and diabetes mellitus, in epidemiological studies. Thus, we examined whether varicella-zoster virus (VZV)-infected cells produce amyloid.

methodsProduction of intracellular amyloidogenic proteins (amylin, amyloid precursor protein [APP], and amyloid-β [Aβ]) and amyloid, as well as extracellular amylin, Aβ, and amyloid, was compared between mock- and VZV-infected quiescent primary human spinal astrocytes (qHA-sps). The ability of supernatant from infected cells to induce amylin or Aβ42 aggregation was quantitated. Finally, the amyloidogenic activity of viral peptides was examined.

resultsVZV-infected qHA-sps, but not mock-infected qHA-sps, contained intracellular amylin, APP, and/or Aβ, and amyloid. No differences in extracellular amylin, Aβ40, or Aβ42 were detected, yet only supernatant from VZV-infected cells induced amylin aggregation and, to a lesser extent, Aβ42 aggregation into amyloid fibrils. VZV glycoprotein B (gB) peptides assembled into fibrils and catalyzed amylin and Aβ42 aggregation.

conclusionsVZV-infected qHA-sps produced intracellular amyloid and their extracellular environment promoted aggregation of cellular peptides into amyloid fibrils that may be due, in part, to VZV gB peptides. These findings suggest that together with host and other environmental factors, VZV infection may increase the toxic amyloid burden and contribute to amyloid-associated disease progression.

Indexed as

Amyloid beta-PeptidesAstrocytesIslet Amyloid PolypeptideAcyclovirAntiviral AgentsCells, CulturedExtracellular SpaceHumansIntracellular SpaceVaricella Zoster Virus InfectionViral Envelope ProteinsAcyclovirAmyloid beta-PeptidesAntiviral Agentsglycoprotein B, varicella-zoster virusIslet Amyloid PolypeptideViral Envelope ProteinsAlzheimer diseaseamylinamyloidastrocytesAβ42varicella-zoster virus

Identifiers

PMID31665341
PMCPMC7075411
OpenAlexW2982328600

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.