A kinetic model for virus binding which involves release of cell-bound virus-receptor complexes

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Molecular Biology
• Virology

Background:

• Virus-cell interactions are crucial for infection dynamics.
• Understanding receptor-ligand kinetics is key to viral entry mechanisms.
• Existing models may not fully capture complex receptor dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a general kinetic mechanism for virus-cell binding and genome delivery.
• To incorporate novel pathways for receptor release (both occupied and unoccupied).
• To explain the irreversible binding observed in specific virus-host systems.

Main Methods:

• Development of a general kinetic model for reversible virus-cell binding.
• Inclusion of irreversible genome delivery and receptor release pathways.
• Application and fitting of three model versions to experimental data of bacteriophage phi X174 binding to Escherichia coli.

Main Results:

• The model successfully fits kinetic data for bacteriophage phi X174 binding to E. coli.
• Irreversible binding to cell-bound receptors explains deviations from the Law of Mass Action.
• A specific model version predicts reduced release rates for virus-bound lipopolysaccharide receptors.

Conclusions:

• The proposed kinetic mechanism provides a comprehensive framework for virus-cell interactions.
• The model elucidates the role of irreversible binding and receptor release in viral infection.
• Findings offer insights into bacteriophage-host dynamics and receptor modulation.