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Novel and classical morbilliviruses: Current knowledge of three divergent morbillivirus groups

Fumio Seki1, Makoto Takeda1

  • 1Department of Virology 3, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Musashimurayama, Tokyo, Japan.

Microbiology and Immunology
|September 24, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Morbilliviruses use host receptors like SLAM for infection. A novel rodent morbillivirus diverges, suggesting different risks and warranting further study for human health implications.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Pathogen Discovery

Background:

  • Six classified morbillivirus species are highly infectious, utilizing signaling lymphocytic activation molecule (SLAM) and nectin-4 receptors, causing significant diseases in various hosts.
  • Feline morbillivirus (FeMV) is phylogenetically distinct, differing in pathogenicity and receptor usage, with speculation of non-SLAM receptor utilization.
  • Recent discoveries include novel morbilliviruses in bats, rodents, and pigs, highlighting the need to understand receptor tropism for risk assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential use of SLAM and nectin-4 receptors by novel morbillivirus species.
  • To analyze the conserved SLAM-binding sites in morbilliviruses to predict receptor usage and pathogenicity.
  • To evaluate the phylogenetic divergence of a novel rodent morbillivirus and its potential implications for human health.

Main Methods:

  • Phylogenetic analysis of morbillivirus species, focusing on receptor-binding protein sequences.
  • Comparative analysis of SLAM-binding sites across different morbillivirus groups.
  • Literature review and synthesis of existing data on morbillivirus classification, receptor usage, and pathogenicity.

Main Results:

  • The SLAM-binding sites in receptor-binding proteins are highly conserved among the six SLAM-using morbilliviruses.
  • A novel morbillivirus species isolated from wild mice forms a distinct phylogenetic group, separate from SLAM-using morbilliviruses and FeMV.
  • This divergence suggests that the novel rodent morbillivirus may possess different pathogenic and infectivity characteristics.

Conclusions:

  • The conserved SLAM-binding sites can aid in predicting whether novel morbillivirus species can utilize SLAM as a receptor.
  • The distinct phylogenetic position of the novel rodent morbillivirus indicates a potentially different risk profile compared to known morbilliviruses.
  • Further research into the pathogenicity and human infectivity of this novel rodent morbillivirus is crucial for public health surveillance.
Keywords:
H proteinSLAMmorbillivirusnectin-4receptor

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