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Published on: October 1, 2015
Bovine lactoferrin confers antiviral effect against La Crosse virus by interfering with virus-heparan sulfate
Masaaki Satoh1, Hideki Ebihara1, Mutsuyo Takayama-Ito1
1Department of Virology I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan Institute for Health Security, Japan.
Insights
La Crosse virus (LACV) infection is facilitated by cell-surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG). Bovine lactoferrin (bLf) shows potential as an antiviral by inhibiting LACV attachment to host cells.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- La Crosse virus (LACV) is a significant mosquito-borne pathogen causing neuroinvasive disease in children.
- Current treatments for LACV infection are limited, highlighting the need for novel antiviral strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG) in LACV cell attachment.
- To evaluate the in vitro antiviral potential of bovine lactoferrin (bLf) against LACV.
Main Methods:
- Assessed the role of HSPG in LACV cell attachment.
- Investigated the inhibitory effect of bLf on LACV infection in vitro.
- Determined the dose-dependent activity of bLf.
Main Results:
- Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG) were found to facilitate LACV infection.
- Bovine lactoferrin (bLf) demonstrated dose-dependent inhibition of LACV infection.
- bLf's antiviral mechanism likely involves competitive inhibition at HSPG receptor sites.
Conclusions:
- HSPG plays a crucial role in LACV cell entry.
- Bovine lactoferrin (bLf) exhibits antiviral properties against LACV by blocking viral attachment.
- These findings suggest bLf as a potential therapeutic agent for LACV infections.
Abstract:
La Crosse virus (LACV) is a mosquito-borne orthobunyavirus within the California serogroup that primarily causes neuroinvasive disease in pediatric populations in the upper Midwestern, mid-Atlantic, and southeastern states of USA. Despite its substantial impact on public health, no vaccine or effective antiviral treatment has been developed so far. In this study, we investigated the role of the cell-surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) in LACV cell attachment and assessed the in vitro antiviral potential of bovine lactoferrin (bLf), which interacts with both the cell surface molecules and HSPG. Our results demonstrated that HSPG facilitates LACV infection and that bLf inhibits this process in a dose-dependent manner. These observations suggest that the antiviral mechanism of bLf may involve competitive inhibition at HSPG receptor sites, thereby preventing viral attachment to the host cell membrane. This provides further insights into the antiviral activity of bLf against LACV.
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