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In Vitro Disassembly of Influenza A Virus Capsids by Gradient Centrifugation
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Direct Intercellular Transport Mode of Filovirus Nucleocapsids

Catarina Harumi Oda Ibrahim1,2, Yuki Takamatsu1,2

  • 1Department of Virology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki City 852-8523, Japan.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|September 13, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Ebola virus (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MARV) nucleocapsids can transfer between connected cells. This intercellular spread, involving nucleocapsid-like structures and host actin, offers advantages for filovirus infection.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Cell Biology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Intercellular viral spread offers advantages over cell-free infection, aiding viral dissemination and immune evasion.
  • Enveloped viruses, including filoviruses like Ebola virus (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MARV), can utilize both cell-to-cell and cell-free transmission routes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the intercellular exchange of Ebola virus (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MARV) nucleocapsids between interconnected host cells.
  • To determine if nucleocapsid-like structures (NCLSs) can be intercellularly transported and identify the mechanisms involved.

Main Methods:

  • Live-cell imaging techniques were employed to observe nucleocapsid exchange in interconnected Huh7 cells.
  • Plasmid transfection methods were used to generate and study nucleocapsid-like structures (NCLSs) composed of EBOV proteins (NP, VP35, VP24, VP30).

Main Results:

  • Intercellular nucleocapsid exchange was observed between interconnected Huh7 cells for EBOV and MARV.
  • Nucleocapsid-like structures (NCLSs) formed by EBOV proteins were intercellularly transported to non-transfected cells via cell-to-cell contact regions.
  • This intercellular transport process involves the host cell actin cytoskeleton.

Conclusions:

  • The study provides evidence supporting cell-to-cell transport as a significant mechanism for filovirus (EBOV, MARV) spread.
  • These findings highlight the importance of intercellular transmission pathways for filovirus pathogenesis and suggest potential targets for intervention strategies.
Keywords:
Ebola viruslive-cell imagingnucleocapsidnucleocapsid-like structuretransport

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