Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2026
11:54
Measurement of BK-polyomavirus Non-Coding Control Region Driven Transcriptional Activity Via Flow Cytometry
Published on: July 13, 2019
5-HT2 receptors facilitate JC polyomavirus entry
Benedetta Assetta1, Melissa S Maginnis, Irene Gracia Ahufinger
1Graduate Program in Pathobiology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
Journal of Virology
|October 4, 2013
Summary
JC polyomavirus (JCPyV) uses the lactoseries tetrasaccharide c (LSTc) for attachment and serotonin 5-HT2 receptors to enter cells. This clarifies JCPyV infection mechanisms, aiding in understanding progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) pathogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Cell Biology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Human JC polyomavirus (JCPyV) causes progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a severe neurological disease.
- JCPyV infection requires lactoseries tetrasaccharide c (LSTc) for attachment and the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) 2A receptor (5-HT2AR), but the receptor's exact role is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the specific roles of serotonin receptors in JCPyV infection.
- To determine which serotonin receptor isoforms facilitate JCPyV entry into host cells.
Main Methods:
- HEK293A cells, which are poorly permissive to JCPyV, were transfected with 14 different serotonin receptor isoforms.
- JCPyV infection, viral attachment, and internalization were analyzed in transfected cells.
- The effect of soluble LSTc on JCPyV infection was assessed.
Main Results:
- Only 5-HT2 receptors (including 5-HT2AR) supported JCPyV infection; other isoforms did not.
- Expression of 5-HT2 receptors significantly enhanced JCPyV internalization but not initial attachment.
- JCPyV infection remained dependent on LSTc, confirming its role as the primary attachment receptor.
Conclusions:
- LSTc is the essential attachment receptor for JCPyV.
- Type 2 serotonin receptors play a critical role in facilitating JCPyV entry into host cells.
- Understanding these entry mechanisms can inform strategies against JCPyV-associated diseases like PML.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Cytomegalovirus Disease
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease is caused by human cytomegalovirus, a double-stranded DNA virus of the Herpesviridae family. While primary CMV infection is often asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals, the virus can cause severe disease in neonates and immunocompromised patients. CMV is the most common cause of congenital viral infection in the United States, and a major pathogen in solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients.CMV is transmitted via bodily fluids, sexual...
01:30Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis
Protein synthesis is indispensable for viral replication, as viruses lack the cellular machinery required for this process and must hijack the host's translational apparatus. In response, host cells deploy a critical innate immune defense involving interferons, specialized cytokines that play a central role in inhibiting viral propagation.Upon viral detection, infected cells release interferons that bind to receptors on adjacent uninfected cells, activating the JAK-STAT signaling pathway and...
01:51Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers
Retroviruses are RNA viruses that have been shown to cause cancers in diverse species, including chickens, mice, cats, and monkeys. The RNA genomes of these viruses are first reverse-transcribed into single and then double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) copies. This dsDNA called proviral DNA then integrates into the host genome. Subsequently, the host cell transcribes the proviral DNA in concert with the chromosomal DNA. This leads to the production of viral RNA and proteins that assemble at the host...
01:51Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers
Retroviruses are RNA viruses that have been shown to cause cancers in diverse species, including chickens, mice, cats, and monkeys. The RNA genomes of these viruses are first reverse-transcribed into single and then double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) copies. This dsDNA called proviral DNA then integrates into the host genome. Subsequently, the host cell transcribes the proviral DNA in concert with the chromosomal DNA. This leads to the production of viral RNA and proteins that assemble at the host...
01:15Receptor Downregulation in MVBs
Multivesicular bodies (MVBs) are mature endosomes that sort ubiquitinated proteins and then fuse with lysosomes to degrade the sorted proteins. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and its receptor (EGFR) form a complex that can be internalized through endocytosis, sorted into an MVB, and later degraded.
The EGFR can initiate signaling pathways that lead to cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Overexpression of EGFR stimulates cells to proliferate. Excessive EGFR activation may...
The EGFR can initiate signaling pathways that lead to cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Overexpression of EGFR stimulates cells to proliferate. Excessive EGFR activation may...
02:33Retroviruses
Retroviruses and retrotransposons both insert copies of their genetic elements into the genome of the host cell. Thus, the viral genes are passed on when the host genome is replicated or translated. A typical retroviral DNA sequence contains 3-4 genes that encode the different proteins required for its structural assembly and function as a molecular parasite. This DNA is transcribed into a single mRNA, which is very similar in structure to conventional mRNAs, i.e., it is capped at the 5’...