CD36 is required for human sapovirus propagation

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Cell Biology
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Human sapoviruses (HuSaVs) cause acute gastroenteritis and exhibit high genetic diversity.
• Previous studies efficiently propagated 15 HuSaV genotype strains in HuTu80 cells, but host factors remained unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify host cellular factors critical for human sapovirus (HuSaV) infection and propagation.
• To investigate the role of CD36 in the replication of diverse HuSaV genotypes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a knockout approach in HuTu80 cells to identify essential cellular proteins for HuSaV propagation.
• Re-expressed CD36 in knockout cells and introduced human CD36 into non-human cells (CHO-K1, Vero) to assess HuSaV propagation.
• Tested propagation of 15 HuSaV genotype strains across engineered cell lines.

Main Results:

• CD36 was identified as a critical cellular protein essential for the propagation of all 15 tested HuSaV genotypes in HuTu80 cells.
• Re-expression of CD36 restored propagation for most HuSaV genotypes in knockout HuTu80 cells.
• Human CD36 expression enabled propagation of multiple HuSaV genotypes in CHO-K1 and Vero cells, confirming its essential role.

Conclusions:

• CD36 is an essential host cellular factor for the propagation of diverse human sapovirus genotypes.
• Findings advance understanding of HuSaV propagation mechanisms and inform strategies for antiviral development and control.
• This research paves the way for developing HuSaV-susceptible animal models.