Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 7, 2025

Generation, Amplification, and Titration of Recombinant Respiratory Syncytial Viruses
11:48

Generation, Amplification, and Titration of Recombinant Respiratory Syncytial Viruses

Published on: April 4, 2019

15.8K

RSV Induces Activation of Intracellular EGFR on the Mitochondrial Membrane for Virus Propagation

Se Sil Noh1,2,3, Hye Jin Shin1,2,4

  • 1Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, Republic of Korea.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|December 23, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) promotes its replication by activating epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling and maintaining cellular ATP levels. Targeting EGFR with drugs like vandetanib may offer new treatments for RSV infections.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Cellular Biology
  • Molecular Medicine

Background:

  • Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of lower respiratory tract infections, particularly in infants.
  • Currently, no specific antiviral treatment exists for RSV infections.
  • Cellular homeostasis, including mitochondrial function and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activity, is crucial for cell survival and growth.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of EGFR signaling and cellular energy metabolism in RSV replication.
  • To identify potential host-targeting strategies for developing RSV therapeutics.

Main Methods:

  • The study analyzed cellular ATP levels and EGFR activity in RSV-infected cells.
  • The effect of the EGFR inhibitor vandetanib on RSV propagation was assessed.
  • Mitochondrial EGFR expression and its role in viral production were examined.

Main Results:

  • RSV infection was found to maintain cellular ATP levels.
  • RSV actively promotes intracellular EGFR activity, particularly within mitochondria, to facilitate viral replication.
  • The EGFR inhibitor vandetanib significantly inhibited RSV propagation in vitro.
  • EGFR activation appears to be a key component of the cell survival signaling cascade initiated by RSV.

Conclusions:

  • RSV hijacks host cell machinery, specifically EGFR signaling and ATP maintenance, for its own propagation.
  • EGFR represents a promising host-directed therapeutic target for combating RSV infections.
  • Targeting host factors like EGFR offers a potential strategy to develop novel antiviral therapies against RSV.
Keywords:
intracellular epidermal growth factor receptormitochondrial homeostasisrespiratory syncytial virusvandetanib

More Related Videos

Dissecting Innate Immune Signaling in Viral Evasion of Cytokine Production08:32

Dissecting Innate Immune Signaling in Viral Evasion of Cytokine Production

Published on: March 2, 2014

10.5K
An In vitro Model to Study Immune Responses of Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells to Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection09:01

An In vitro Model to Study Immune Responses of Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells to Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection

Published on: December 10, 2013

7.9K

Related Concept Videos

Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer01:03

Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer

Rous Sarcoma virus or RSV was discovered by F. Peyton Rous in the year 1911 as a filterable transmissible agent that could cause tumors in chickens. He won a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1966. His experiments clearly demonstrated that some cancers could be caused by infectious agents and led to the discovery of many more cancer-causing viruses in animals as well as humans.
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand  RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
5.1K
MAPK Signaling Cascades01:07

MAPK Signaling Cascades

Mitogen-activated protein kinase, or MAPK pathway, activates three sequential kinases to regulate cellular responses such as proliferation, differentiation, survival, and apoptosis. The canonical MAPK pathway starts with a mitogen or growth factor binding to an RTK. The activated RTKs stimulate Ras, which recruits Raf or MAP3 Kinase (MAPKKK), the first kinase of the MAPK signaling cascade. Raf further phosphorylates and activates MEK or MAP2 Kinases (MAPKK), which in turn phosphorylates MAP...
5.5K
Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers01:51

Mechanisms 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...
5.1K
Retrovirus Life Cycles01:10

Retrovirus Life Cycles

Retroviruses have a single-stranded RNA genome that undergoes a special form of replication. Once the retrovirus has entered the host cell, an enzyme called reverse transcriptase synthesizes double-stranded DNA from the retroviral RNA genome. This DNA copy of the genome is then integrated into the host’s genome inside the nucleus via an enzyme called integrase. Consequently, the retroviral genome is transcribed into RNA whenever the host’s genome is transcribed, allowing the...
46.0K
The Ras Gene02:38

The Ras Gene

The Ras-gene-encoded proteins are regulators of signaling pathways controlling cell proliferation, differentiation, or cell survival. The Ras-gene family in humans constitutes three primary members—the HRas, NRas, and KRas. These genes code for four functionally distinct yet closely related proteins—the HRas, NRas, KRas4A, and KRas4B. The involvement of mutant Ras genes in human cancer was first discovered in 1982 and is among the most common causes of human tumorigenesis.
Ras is a...
6.2K
Rab Proteins01:14

Rab Proteins

Rab proteins constitute the largest family of monomeric GTPases, of which 70 members are present in humans. Rab proteins and their effectors regulate consecutive stages of vesicle transport such as vesicle transport, docking, and fusion to the correct recipient membrane.
Rab proteins switch between a cytosolic, GDP-bound inactive state and a membrane-anchored, GTP-bound active state. By themselves, Rabs show slow rates of GDP/GTP exchange and GTP hydrolysis. Thus, Rab proteins are considered...
3.9K