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SLAM (CDw150) is a cellular receptor for measles virus
1Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Nature
|September 6, 2000
Summary
Measles virus, a leading cause of child mortality, primarily infects cells via signalling lymphocyte-activation molecule (SLAM). This discovery explains measles pathogenesis and immunosuppression, offering new research avenues.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Measles virus causes significant childhood mortality, largely due to secondary infections resulting from profound immunosuppression.
- While some measles virus strains use CD46 as a receptor, most clinical isolates do not, indicating the existence of other cellular receptors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the cellular receptor used by measles virus clinical isolates.
- To elucidate the mechanism of measles virus entry and pathogenesis, particularly immunosuppression.
Main Methods:
- Transfection of non-susceptible cell lines with human SLAM complementary DNA.
- Assessing measles virus binding, replication, and cytopathic effects in transfected cells.
- Correlating SLAM expression patterns with measles virus susceptibility in various cell lines.
Main Results:
- Human SLAM (signalling lymphocyte-activation molecule), also known as CDw150, functions as a cellular receptor for measles virus, including the Edmonston strain.
- SLAM-transfected cells demonstrated measles virus binding, replication, and cytopathic effects.
- The cellular distribution of SLAM correlated with the susceptibility of cell lines to clinical measles virus isolates.
Conclusions:
- SLAM is a key cellular receptor for measles virus, explaining its tropism and pathogenesis.
- Identification of SLAM provides critical insights into measles-induced immunosuppression and opens avenues for therapeutic strategies.
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