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Updated: May 10, 2025
11:20
Affinity Purification of Influenza Virus Ribonucleoprotein Complexes from the Chromatin of Infected Cells
Published on: June 3, 2012
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Single influenza A viruses induce nanoscale cellular reprogramming at the virus-cell interface
Lukas Broich1, Hannah Wullenkord2, Maria Kaukab Osman3,4,5
1Nanoscale Infection Biology Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
Nature Communications
|April 25, 2025
Summary
This study reveals how influenza A viruses interact with host cells at the nanoscale. We visualized early virus-cell contact, uncovering receptor dynamics and unexpected protein recruitment during infection.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Virology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Cellular signaling is initiated at the virus-cell interface during infection.
- Early viral events like receptor recruitment are transient and difficult to study due to technical limitations.
- Understanding the nanoscale kinetics of initial virus-cell interactions is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a method for extended observation of virus-cell interactions.
- To investigate the dynamics of viral receptors and cellular machinery during early infection.
- To explore the nanoscale organization of the actin cytoskeleton in response to viral binding.
Main Methods:
- Developed a protocol to immobilize labeled influenza A viruses on glass surfaces.
- Utilized single-molecule super-resolution microscopy for live imaging of virus-cell interactions.
- Analyzed virus-receptor dynamics, clathrin-mediated endocytosis, and actin cytoskeleton organization.
Main Results:
- Immobilized viruses allowed extended observation of virus-plasma membrane association.
- Observed reduced mobility and local accumulation/turnover of viral receptors at binding sites.
- Demonstrated recruitment of adaptor protein 2 (AP-2) during clathrin-mediated endocytosis of influenza A virus.
- Revealed a dynamic, local response of the actin cytoskeleton to the infecting virus.
Conclusions:
- The developed method enables detailed study of early virus-cell interactions.
- Influenza A virus infection involves specific receptor dynamics and recruitment of unexpected cellular proteins like AP-2.
- The actin cytoskeleton undergoes rapid nanoscale reorganization upon viral binding, influencing infection dynamics.
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