Nectine-4, le récepteur épithélial du virus de la rougeole

The measles virus epithelial receptor has recently been identified by two teams. It is nectin-4, also named Polio Virus Receptor Like 4. Nectin-4 is a component of the adherens junctions in certain epithelia and notably in the respiratory tract. Recently published data show that nectin-4 is the measles epithelial receptor in several cell lines as well as in primary human and simian respiratory epithelia. These results support a model in which infection of the epithelial cells is a late event required for the virus to exit the host. The use of nectin-4 allows the virus to specifically be excreted in the airways, facilitating transmission through aerosols. Nectin-4 is also a biomarker in several types of cancer and thus constitutes a potential target for measles-derived oncolytic vectors.