VEGFR-3 deficiency in astrocytes exacerbates Japanese encephalitis virus-induced neuroinflammation in mouse brains.

ABSTRACT: Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a highly neurotropic flavivirus, preferentially targets neurons, where it replicates efficiently and induces extensive neuroinflammation and neural injury within the central nervous system (CNS), resulting in severe neurological deficits and high mortality. Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 (VEGFR-3), a receptor tyrosine kinase encoded by FLT4, plays an essential role in vascular system regulation, especially in the development and maintenance of the lymphatic system. While previous studies have shown that macrophage-expressed VEGFR-3 suppresses bacterial sepsis and neuroinflammatory responses, its function in astrocytes during viral encephalitis remains unclear. To elucidate the astrocytic role of VEGFR-3 in JEV pathogenesis, mice carr

SUBMITTER: Wang XL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12940548 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature