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Entry of rotaviruses is a multistep process.
E Méndez1, S López, M A Cuadras
1Departamento de Genética y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Morelos, 62250, Mexico.
Virology
|November 2, 1999
Summary
Some animal rotaviruses need sialic acid (SA) for infection, but new variants and human rotaviruses don't. These rotaviruses use different cell surface interactions for entry, revealing common steps in human and animal rotavirus infection.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Interactions
Background:
- Sialic acid (SA) on cell surfaces is essential for some animal rotavirus strains to infect epithelial cells.
- Rhesus rotavirus variants (nar) and human rotaviruses exhibit SA-independent infectivity.
- Understanding rotavirus-cell interactions is crucial for developing antiviral strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the binding properties of SA-dependent and SA-independent rotavirus strains to MA104 cells.
- To determine if SA-independent rotaviruses recognize the same cellular structures.
- To elucidate the mechanisms of rotavirus entry into host cells.
Main Methods:
- Assessing rotavirus attachment kinetics to MA104 cells with and without SA (neuraminidase-treated).
- Employing infection competition assays to detect interactions for cell surface molecules.
- Utilizing psoralen-inactivated viruses to confirm early-stage infection competition.
Main Results:
- SA-dependent rotaviruses (YM, DS1xRRV) showed significantly longer attachment times in SA-depleted cells.
- SA-independent rotaviruses (Wa, DS1, nar3) exhibited faster binding in the absence of SA.
- Competition assays revealed complex, nonreciprocal interactions, suggesting distinct and shared cellular binding sites.
Conclusions:
- Rotaviruses engage in multiple interactions with host cell surfaces.
- Common entry steps exist between human and animal rotavirus strains.
- SA-independent rotaviruses may utilize alternative cellular receptors for infection.