TY - JOUR TI - Pregnancy and pandemics: Interaction of viral surface proteins and placenta cells AU - Fuentes-Zacarías, Paulina AU - Murrieta-Coxca, Jose M. AU - Gutierrez-Samudio, Ruby N. AU - Schmidt, Astrid AU - Schmidt, Andre AU - Markert, Udo R. AU - Morales-Prieto, Diana M. T2 - Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Basis of Disease AB - Throughout history, pandemics of infectious diseases caused by emerging viruses have spread worldwide. Evidence from previous outbreaks demonstrated that pregnant women are at high risk of contracting the diseases and suffering from adverse outcomes. However, while some viruses can cause major health complications for the mother and her fetus, others do not appear to affect pregnancy. Viral surface proteins bind to specific receptors on the cellular membrane of host cells and begin therewith the infection process. During pregnancy, the molecular features of these proteins may determine specific target cells in the placenta, which may explain the different outcomes. In this review, we display information on Variola, Influenza, Zika and Corona viruses focused on their surface proteins, effects on pregnancy, and possible target placental cells. This will contribute to understanding viral entry during pregnancy, as well as to develop strategies to decrease the incidence of obstetrical problems in current and future infections. DA - 2021/07/24/ PY - 2021 DO - 10.1016/j.bbadis.2021.166218 DP - ScienceDirect SP - 166218 J2 - Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Basis of Disease LA - en SN - 0925-4439 ST - Pregnancy and pandemics UR - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925443921001514 Y2 - 2021/07/27/23:48:13 KW - Coronavirus KW - Influenza KW - Pregnancy KW - Variola KW - Zika ER -