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Integrin alphavbeta1 is a receptor for foot-and-mouth disease virus

Terry Jackson1, A Paul Mould, Dean Sheppard

  • 1Department of Molecular Biology, Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright, Surrey GU24 ONF, UK. terry.jackson@bbsrc.ac.uk

Journal of Virology
|January 5, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) uses integrin alphavbeta1 as a receptor for infection. This binding is enhanced by integrin activators, suggesting a new target for antiviral strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Cell Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) infects livestock, causing significant economic losses.
  • FMDV infection initiates via binding to specific arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD)-dependent integrins, such as alphavbeta3 and alphavbeta6.
  • Understanding FMDV-integrin interactions is crucial for developing antiviral therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of integrin alphavbeta1 as a potential receptor for FMDV.
  • To characterize the binding and infection mechanisms of FMDV mediated by alphavbeta1.
  • To explore factors influencing FMDV binding to alphavbeta1.

Main Methods:

  • Expression of human/hamster heterodimeric integrin alphavbeta1 on transfected CHOB2 cells.
  • Assessing FMDV binding and infection mediated by alphavbeta1 under varying conditions (e.g., presence of divalent cations, activating reagents).
  • Utilizing chimeric integrin subunits to confirm the specificity of alphavbeta1-mediated FMDV interaction.

Main Results:

  • Integrin alphavbeta1 functions as a receptor for FMDV.
  • FMDV binding and infection via alphavbeta1 were enhanced by integrin-activating reagents, particularly in the presence of physiological calcium and magnesium concentrations.
  • Chimeric integrin studies confirmed the ligand-binding specificity of alphavbeta1 for FMDV.

Conclusions:

  • Integrin alphavbeta1 is a functional receptor for FMDV.
  • The efficiency of FMDV infection through alphavbeta1 is modulated by integrin activation status.
  • Specific amino acid residues near the RGD motif may dictate the differential binding specificities of integrins like alphavbeta1 and alphavbeta6 for FMDV.

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