Elucidating the enigmatic biology of arteriviruses through receptor discovery

Arteriviruses are diverse +ssRNA viruses (Nidovirales Order; Arteriviridae Family) that infect a variety of mammals. Arterivirus infections can manifest in a variety of ways, ranging from viral hemorrhagic fever to persistent sub-clinical infection. A perplexing feature of arterivirus biology is the unusual network of small glycoproteins that decorate the virion surface. How these glycoproteins mediate viral entry into target cells remains poorly understood, but it is widely accepted that the arterivirus entry process is novel. This review highlights recent advances in the characterization of arterivirus entry receptors and examines unique features of arterivirus biology-including disease, persistence, tropism, evolution, and cross-species transmission-through the lens of receptor utilization.