An embryonic heart cell line is susceptible to dengue virus infection

• The myoblast cell line H9c2 is susceptible to the four dengue virus serotypes.
• DENV replicative cycle in H9c2 cells is as efficient as in other susceptible cells.
• H9c2 cells are a model to study cardiac physiopathology in DENV infection.

Dengue virus (DENV) is the causative agent of dengue fever. In recent years, patients with more severe form of the disease with acute heart failure or progression to cardiogenic shock and death have been reported. However, the pathogenesis of myocardial lesions and susceptibility of cardiomyocytes to DENV infection have not been evaluated. Under this perspective, the susceptibility of the myoblast cell line H9c2, obtained from embryonic rat heart, to DENV infection was analyzed. Our findings indicate that H9c2 cells are susceptible to the infection with the four DENV serotypes. Moreover, virus translation/replication and viral production in this cell line is as efficient as in other susceptible cell lines, supporting the idea that DENV may target heart cells as evidenced by infection of H9c2 cells. This cell line may thus represent an excellent model for the study and characterization of cardiac physiopathology in DENV infection.