Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 4, 2026

Dissecting Host-virus Interaction in Lytic Replication of a Model Herpesvirus
Published on: October 7, 2011
Update on BK virus entry and intracellular trafficking
A S Dugan1, S Eash, W J Atwood
1Graduate Program in Pathobiology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA.
Abstract:
BK virus (BKV) is a small, non-enveloped, double-stranded DNA virus and a member of the Polyomaviridae family. As the recently recognized etiologic agent of polyomavirus-associated nephropathy, the events involved in BKV invasion of host cells are an important area of study. Using cell culture models, the mechanism by which BKV infects permissive hosts to gain access to the replication machinery within these cells is beginning to unfold. BKV uses an N-linked glycoprotein containing an alpha(2,3)-linked sialic acid as a receptor. After this initial attachment, BKV enters cells through caveolae-mediated endocytosis. Intracellular trafficking via cellular cytoskeletal components follows this relatively slow and cholesterol-dependent internalization. BKV must reach the nucleus for viral transcription and replication to occur. Elucidating the steps of the early viral lifecycle would provide clues to help explain the infectious spread and pathology of this human pathogen.
Related Concept Videos
Receptor-mediated Endocytosis
Retrovirus Life Cycles
Retroviruses
Receptor-mediated Endocytosis
Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis of LDL
One well-characterized example of receptor-mediated endocytosis is the...
Introduction to Membrane Traffic
The transport of soluble and membrane proteins is mediated by transport vesicles that collect cargo from one cellular compartment and deliver it to another by fusing with the target organelle membrane. The Rab...
Coronavirus

