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Zika infects neural cells related to skull formation, affecting their function

October 3, 2016 by

Cranial neural crest cells -- which give rise to the bones and cartilage of the skull -- are vulnerable to Zika virus. The discovery, made by infecting in vitro cultures of human cells, offers a potential mechanism for how children born with the virus can have smaller-than-average skulls and disproportionate facial features.

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