GEO series

Interleukin-27 is antiviral at the maternal-fetal interface

GSE298278 Homo sapiens (human) RNA-seq (gene expression) 18 samples Submitted 2026/01/28 Platform GPL24676

At a glance

RNA-seq (gene expression) · human · 18 samples

What it is: RNA-seq (gene expression)Gene activity measured by sequencing. The summary does not mention single-cell work, so this is most likely bulk: one average per sample, the usual starting point for comparing groups.
Organism: Homo sapiens (human)
Samples: 18 samples: 6 conditions, mostly in triplicateGroups are read from the sample names, not from the paper. Check the list below.
Data you can get: A processed table (series matrix) and supplementary files from NCBI; the raw sequencing reads from ENA. Which of these hold counts depends on the study, so check the file list.
Paper: Interleukin-27 is antiviral against Zika virus at the maternal-fetal interfaceNature communications · 2025

Summary (written by the submitters)

Congenital viral infections can have severe consequences for pregnancy and fetal outcomes. Remarkably, the fetal-derived placenta serves as a robust barrier to infection through meticulous regulation by immune effectors and a diverse repertoire of cytokines. Yet, the regulatory roles of many cytokines remain undefined at the maternal-fetal interface.

Read the full summary ↓

Interleukin 27 (IL-27) is a highly expressed cytokine in the placenta whose functional consequence during congenital infection is unknown. Here, we utilized trophoblast organoids (TO) derived from primary human placentas and a mouse model of congenital viral infection to uncover the functional role of IL-27 signaling during pregnancy. We show that TOs constitutively express IL-27 and its receptor, IL27RA, and demonstrate that IL-27 signaling restricts Zika virus (ZIKV) infection of TOs. Through bulk RNA-sequencing of TOs in the absence and presence of IL-27 signaling, we demonstrate IL-27-mediated upregulation of antiviral genes. Finally, we show that IL-27 signaling is critical within the context of congenital murine ZIKV infection, as IL-27 restricts placental ZIKV burdens and protects against pathologic fetal outcomes early in gestation. These findings collectively demonstrate a novel role for IL-27 in the placenta and establish IL-27 as an innate antiviral defense at the maternal-fetal interface during congenital viral infection.

Published in

Interleukin-27 is antiviral against Zika virus at the maternal-fetal interface

Merlino MS, Barksdale B, Negatu SG et al. · Nature communications 2025 · PMID 41413389 · doi:10.1038/s41467-025-67378-0

This dataset

Open GSE298278 in finder → Find more human RNA-seq datasets →

Download · which file do I need?

Direct links to NCBI and ENA, no account and no request form. Pick by what you want to do: take the small processed table to look, the supplementary files to re-analyse, or the original raw data to start over.

1 · Just have a look

Processed table

The series matrix: one table of values per sample as the submitters processed it. The smallest download, and it opens in Excel or R. Start here to see what the data look like.

Series matrix ↓

2 · Re-analyse it

Supplementary files

The count tables and other files the authors uploaded. Take only the samples you need, or the whole study as GSE298278_RAW.tar (it can run to tens of gigabytes).

All supplementary files ↗ Whole study · RAW.tar ↓

3 · Start from the raw reads

Raw sequencing reads

The original FASTQ files, straight from the sequencer, held at ENA. Large, and you align them yourself, so only choose this if you need to re-process the study from scratch.

Raw reads on ENA ↗

What the files usually look like: For RNA-seq the counts are usually a table among the supplementary files (look for 'counts', 'expression', 'FPKM' or 'TPM' in the file name). The series matrix of a sequencing study is sometimes nearly empty.

Also filed as BioProject PRJNA1268873 and SRA study SRP588164. Searching any of these in the dataset finder brings you back here.

NCBI GEO page ↗ Paper (PMID 41413389) ↗

Study design

6 conditions, mostly in triplicate

TO_IsotypeControl ×3 TO_antiIL27 ×3 TO_antiIFNL1/3 ×3 TO_VehicleControl ×3 TO_IL27stim ×3 TO_IFNL1/3stim ×3

Supports a between-group comparison across 18 samples.

How we read this: 6 replicated groups read from 18 sample titles; they account for 18 of them. These groups are guessed from the sample names, not taken from the paper, so check them against the sample list below before relying on them.

Samples in this study

GSM9011225 TO_IsotypeControl_Rep1 TO_IsotypeControl
GSM9011226 TO_antiIL27_Rep1 TO_antiIL27
GSM9011227 TO_antiIFNL1/3_Rep1 TO_antiIFNL1/3
GSM9011228 TO_VehicleControl_Rep1 TO_VehicleControl
GSM9011229 TO_IL27stim_Rep1 TO_IL27stim
GSM9011230 TO_IFNL1/3stim_Rep1 TO_IFNL1/3stim
GSM9011231 TO_IsotypeControl_Rep2 TO_IsotypeControl
GSM9011232 TO_antiIL27_Rep2 TO_antiIL27
GSM9011233 TO_antiIFNL1/3_Rep2 TO_antiIFNL1/3
GSM9011234 TO_VehicleControl_Rep2 TO_VehicleControl
GSM9011235 TO_IL27stim_Rep2 TO_IL27stim
GSM9011236 TO_IFNL1/3stim_Rep2 TO_IFNL1/3stim
GSM9011237 TO_IsotypeControl_Rep3 TO_IsotypeControl
GSM9011238 TO_antiIL27_Rep3 TO_antiIL27
GSM9011239 TO_antiIFNL1/3_Rep3 TO_antiIFNL1/3
GSM9011240 TO_VehicleControl_Rep3 TO_VehicleControl
GSM9011241 TO_IL27stim_Rep3 TO_IL27stim
GSM9011242 TO_IFNL1/3stim_Rep3 TO_IFNL1/3stim

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GSE298146 SOX4 Mediated Differentiation of Specific T Lymphocyte Subsets at the Maternal-Fetal Interface Contributes to Preterm Labor [RNA-Seq] 34 samples shares maternal-fetal, interface
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GSE330176 Phenotypically similar but functionally distinct NK cell populations within the human maternal-fetal interface [bulkRNA-seq] 20 samples shares maternal-fetal, interface
GSE319493 Phenotypically similar but functionally distinct NK cell populations within the human maternal-fetal interface [scRNA-seq] 15 samples shares maternal-fetal, interface
GSE298153 SOX4 Mediated Differentiation of Specific T Lymphocyte Subsets at the Maternal-Fetal Interface Contributes to Preterm Labor 16 samples shares maternal-fetal, interface
GSE108445 A Reproducibility-Based Computational Framework Identifies An Inducible, Enhanced Antiviral Dendritic Cell State In HIV-1 Elite Controllers 420 samples shares antiviral

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