Zika Virus Protease Cleavage of Host Protein Septin-2 Mediates Mitotic Defects in Neural Progenitors (Neuron)

Mechanisms by which Zika virus leads to microcephaly are poorly understood. Here, Li et al. demonstrate the Zika protease, required for viral replication, associates with host proteins and cleaves Septin-2, a protein required for neural cell division.