The membrane receptor Basigin facilitates WSSV infection by binding envelope proteins and suppressing antiviral gene...

Basigin, a pattern recognition receptor (PRR), identified from Penaeus vannamei, mediates the NF-κB/Dorsal signaling pathway. Although previous studies have demonstrated its involvement in the antibacterial immune response of shrimp, the specific role of Basigin in antiviral immunity remains unclear. In this study, we focused on the function of Basigin during infection with white spot syndrome virus (WSSV), a highly pathogenic virus in shrimp aquaculture. The results showed that WSSV infection significantly upregulated Basigin expression in the gills and heart tissues of shrimp. Co-immunoprecipitation assays revealed that Basigin specifically interacted with the WSSV envelope proteins VP19, VP24, VP26, and VP28. AlphaFold3 structural prediction revealed that Basigin forms tight and spatially highly compatible binding interfaces with all four viral structural proteins. In vivo experiments further demonstrated that knockdown of Basigin expression increased the survival rate of WSSV-infected shrimp by 12%, reduced viral genomic copy numbers in tissues by 97.7%, and upregulated antiviral gene expression. Collectively, these findings suggest that Basigin functions as a pro-viral factor that facilitates WSSV infection in shrimp, thereby expanding our understanding of Basigin's role in viral infection. This study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying WSSV-host interactions and the shrimp immune system.