Influenza virus can enter and infect cells in the absence of clathrin-mediated endocytosis

Influenza virus has been described to enter host cells via clathrin-mediated endocytosis. However, it has also been suggested that other endocytic routes may provide additional entry pathways. Here we show that influenza virus may enter and infect HeLa cells that are unable to take up ligands by clathrin-mediated endocytosis. By overexpressing a dominant-negative form of the Eps15 protein to inhibit clathrin-mediated endocytosis, we demonstrate that while transferrin uptake and Semliki Forest virus infection were prevented, influenza virus could enter and infect cells expressing Eps15Delta95/295. This finding is supported by the successful infection of cells with influenza virus in the presence of chemical treatments that block endocytosis, namely, chlorpromazine and potassium depletion. We show also that influenza virus may infect cells incapable of uptake by caveolae. Treatment with the inhibitors nystatin, methyl-beta-cyclodextrin, and genistein, as well as transfection of cells with dominant-negative caveolin-1, had no effect on influenza virus infection. By combining inhibitory methods to block both clathrin-mediated endocytosis and uptake by caveolae in the same cell, we demonstrate that influenza virus may infect cells by an additional non-clathrin-dependent, non-caveola-dependent endocytic pathway. We believe this to be the first conclusive analysis of virus entry via such a non-clathrin-dependent pathway, in addition to the traditional clathrin-dependent route.     

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis in living host cells visualized through quantum dot labeling of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus

Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) is an important fish pathogen that infects both wild and cultured salmonids. As a species of the genus Novirhabdovirus, IHNV is a valuable model system for exploring the host entry mechanisms of rhabdoviruses. In this study, quantum dots (QDs) were used as fluorescent labels for sensitive, long-term tracking of IHNV entry. Using live-cell fluorescence microscopy, we found that IHNV is internalized through clathrin-coated pits after the virus binds to host cell membranes. Pretreatment of host cells with chlorpromazine, a drug that blocks clathrin-mediated endocytosis, and clathrin light chain (LCa) depletion using RNA interference both resulted in a marked reduction in viral entry. We also visualized transport of the virus via the cytoskeleton (i.e., actin filaments and microtubules) in real time. Actin polymerization is involved in the transport of endocytic vesicles into the cytosol, whereas microtubules are required for the trafficking of clathrin-coated vesicles to early endosomes, late endosomes, and lysosomes. Disrupting the host cell cytoskeleton with cytochalasin D or nocodazole significantly impaired IHNV infectivity. Furthermore, infection was significantly affected by pretreating the host cells with bafilomycin A1, a compound that inhibits the acidification of endosomes and lysosomes. Strong colocalizations of IHNV with endosomes indicated that the virus is internalized into these membrane-bound compartments. This is the first report in which QD labeling is used to visualize the dynamic interactions between viruses and endocytic structures; the results presented demonstrate that IHNV enters host cells via clathrin-mediated endocytic, cytoskeleton-dependent, and low-pH-dependent pathways.     

Dissecting the Cell Entry Pathway of Dengue Virus by Single-Particle Tracking in Living Cells

Dengue virus (DENV) is an enveloped RNA virus that causes the most common arthropod-borne infection worldwide. The mechanism by which DENV infects the host cell remains unclear. In this work, we used live-cell imaging and single-virus tracking to investigate the cell entry, endocytic trafficking, and fusion behavior of DENV. Simultaneous tracking of DENV particles and various endocytic markers revealed that DENV enters cells exclusively via clathrin-mediated endocytosis. The virus particles move along the cell surface in a diffusive manner before being captured by a pre-existing clathrin-coated pit. Upon clathrin-mediated entry, DENV particles are transported to Rab5-positive endosomes, which subsequently mature into late endosomes through acquisition of Rab7 and loss of Rab5. Fusion of the viral membrane with the endosomal membrane was primarily detected in late endosomal compartments.     

Assembly of endocytic machinery around individual influenza viruses during viral entry

Most viruses enter cells via receptor-mediated endocytosis. However, the entry mechanisms used by many of them remain unclear. Also largely unknown is the way in which viruses are targeted to cellular endocytic machinery. We have studied the entry mechanisms of influenza viruses by tracking the interaction of single viruses with cellular endocytic structures in real time using fluorescence microscopy. Our results show that influenza can exploit clathrin-mediated and clathrin- and caveolin-independent endocytic pathways in parallel, both pathways leading to viral fusion with similar efficiency. Remarkably, viruses taking the clathrin-mediated pathway enter cells via the de novo formation of clathrin-coated pits (CCPs) at viral-binding sites. CCP formation at these sites is much faster than elsewhere on the cell surface, suggesting a virus-induced CCP formation mechanism that may be commonly exploited by many other types of viruses.     

Filamentous Influenza Virus Enters Cells via Macropinocytosis

Influenza virus is pleiomorphic, producing both spherical (100-nm-diameter) and filamentous (100-nm by 20-μm) virions. While the spherical virions are known to enter host cells through exploitation of clathrin-mediated endocytosis, the entry pathway for filamentous virions has not been determined, though the existence of an alternative, non-clathrin-, non-caveolin-mediated entry pathway for influenza virus has been known for many years. In this study, we confirm recent results showing that influenza virus utilizes macropinocytosis as an alternate entry pathway. Furthermore, we find that filamentous influenza viruses use macropinocytosis as the primary entry mechanism. Virions enter cells as intact filaments within macropinosomes and are trafficked to the acidic late-endosomal compartment. Low pH triggers a conformational change in the M2 ion channel protein, altering membrane curvature and leading to a fragmentation of the filamentous virions. This fragmentation may enable more-efficient fusion between the viral and endosomal membranes.     

病毒入胞机制研究方法及其研究进展

多数病毒家族利用胞吞作为入侵宿主细胞的途径。胞吞既可以介导病毒内化,也可以将病毒运输到复制位点。已知的胞吞途径包括:网格蛋白依赖型内吞、小窝蛋白依赖型内吞、巨胞饮和网格蛋白、小窝蛋白非依赖型内吞。随着对胞吞过程中各组分结构和功能了解的日趋深入,研究胞吞过程以及病毒入侵过程的手段也变得更有效,特异性更高。目前,化学抑制剂的使用仍十分普遍,但该方法常非特异性地阻断细胞某些功能。一些分子抑制方法,如过表达显性负突变体和siRNA技术等,因其对单一途径的特异性阻断,使得应用分子型抑制剂逐渐取代了化学抑制剂。本文主要分析了研究病毒入侵途径时所使用的实验方法,并列举了一些实例。     

Dengue-3 Virus Entry into Vero Cells: Role of Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis in the Outcome of Infection

The endocytic uptake and intracellular trafficking for penetration of DENV-3 strain H-87 into Vero cells was analyzed by using several biochemical inhibitors and dominant negative mutants of cellular proteins. The results presented show that the infective entry of DENV-3 into Vero cells occurs through a non-classical endocytosis pathway dependent on low pH and dynamin, but non-mediated by clathrin. After uptake, DENV-3 transits through early endosomes to reach Rab 7-regulated late endosomes, and according with the half-time for ammonium chloride resistance viral nucleocapsid is released into the cytosol approximately at 12 min post-infection. Furthermore, the influence of the clathrin pathway in DENV-3 infective entry in other mammalian cell lines of human origin, such as A549, HepG2 and U937 cells, was evaluated demonstrating that variable entry pathways are employed depending on the host cell. Results show for the first time the simultaneous coexistence of infective and non -infective routes for DENV entry into the host cell, depending on the usage of clathrin-mediated endocytosis.     

Alternative infectious entry pathways for dengue virus serotypes into mammalian cells

The entry of two dengue virus (DENV) serotypes into Vero cells was analysed using biochemical inhibitors, dominant negative mutants of cellular proteins involved in endocytic pathways, fluorescence microscopy and infectivity determinations. By treatment with dansylcadaverine and chlorpromazine and overexpression of a dominant negative form of the Eps15 protein, a clathrin-mediated endocytosis for productive DENV-1 internalization into Vero cells was demonstrated whereas the infectious entry of DENV-2 in the same cell system was independent of clathrin. Treatment with the inhibitors nystatin and methyl-β-cyclodextrin, as well as transfection of Vero cells with dominant negative caveolin-1, had no effect on DENV-2 virus infection. It was also shown, by using the K44A mutant and the inhibitor dynasore, that dynamin was required for DENV-2 entry. Consequently, the infectious entry of DENV-2 into Vero cells occurs by a non-classical endocytic pathway independent of clathrin, caveolae and lipid rafts, but dependent on dynamin. By contrast, DENV-2 entry into A549 cells was clathrin-dependent, as previously reported in HeLa, C6/36 and BS-C-1 cells. Our results conclusively show, for the first time, a differential mode of infective entry for DENV-1 and DENV-2 into a common host cell, Vero cells, as well as alternative entry pathways for a given serotype, DENV-2, into different types of cells.     

Caveolae as an additional route for influenza virus endocytosis in MDCK cells

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis has been described as the primary internalization pathway for many viruses, including the influenza virus. However, caveolae, an alternative clathrin-independent endocytotic pathway, has also been described as mediating the entry of some molecules, including viruses. To address the question of pathway selection by the influenza virus, we have investigated whether the virus is internalized via clathrin-coated pits and/or caveolae in Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. By applying pharmacological manipulations to selectively disrupt the cell internalization pathways, we found that, in MDCK cells, the influenza virus may be internalized via caveolae in addition to entry by clathrin-mediated endocytosis. However, a small contribution by another mode of entry, as recently proposed, cannot be excluded.     

Plasma Membrane Phosphatidylinositol 4,5 Bisphosphate Is Required for Internalization of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus and Vesicular Stomatitis Virus

Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate, PI(4,5)P₂, is a phospholipid which plays important roles in clathrin-mediated endocytosis. To investigate the possible role of this lipid on viral entry, two viruses important for animal health were selected: the enveloped vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) − which uses a well characterized clathrin mediated endocytic route − and two different variants of the non-enveloped foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) with distinct receptor specificities. The expression of a dominant negative dynamin, a PI(4,5)P₂ effector protein, inhibited the internalization and infection of VSV and both FMDV isolates. Depletion of PI(4,5)P₂ from plasma membrane using ionomycin or an inducible system, and inhibition of its de novo synthesis with 1-butanol revealed that VSV as well as FMDV C-S8c1, which uses integrins as receptor, displayed a high dependence on PI(4,5)P₂ for internalization. Expression of a kinase dead mutant (KD) of phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate-5-kinase Iα (PIP5K-Iα), an enzyme responsible for PI(4,5)P₂ synthesis that regulates clathrin-dependent endocytosis, also impaired entry and infection of VSV and FMDV C-S8c1. Interestingly FMDV MARLS variant that uses receptors other than integrins for cell entry was less sensitive to PI(4,5)P₂ depletion, and was not inhibited by the expression of the KD PIP5K-Iα mutant suggesting the involvement of endocytic routes other than the clathrin-mediated on its entry. These results highlight the role of PI(4,5)P₂ and PIP5K-Iα on clathrin-mediated viral entry.     

Association of the caveola vesicular system with cellular entry by filoviruses

The filoviruses Ebola Zaire virus and Marburg virus are believed to infect target cells through endocytic vesicles, but the details of this pathway are unknown. We used a pseudotyping strategy to investigate the cell biology of filovirus entry. We observed that specific inhibitors of the caveola system, including cholesterol-sequestering drugs and phorbol esters, inhibited the entry of filovirus pseudotypes into human cells. We also measured slower cell entry kinetics for both filovirus pseudotypes than for pseudotypes of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), which has been recognized to exploit the clathrin-mediated entry pathway. Finally, visualization by immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy revealed that the filovirus pseudotypes colocalized with the caveola protein marker caveolin-1 but that VSV pseudotypes did not. Collectively, these results provide evidence suggesting that filoviruses use caveolae to gain entry into cells.     

Genome-Wide RNAi Screen Identifies Novel Host Proteins Required for Alphavirus Entry

The enveloped alphaviruses include important and emerging human pathogens such as Chikungunya virus and Eastern equine encephalitis virus. Alphaviruses enter cells by clathrin-mediated endocytosis, and exit by budding from the plasma membrane. While there has been considerable progress in defining the structure and function of the viral proteins, relatively little is known about the host factors involved in alphavirus infection. We used a genome-wide siRNA screen to identify host factors that promote or inhibit alphavirus infection in human cells. Fuzzy homologue (FUZ), a protein with reported roles in planar cell polarity and cilia biogenesis, was required for the clathrin-dependent internalization of both alphaviruses and the classical endocytic ligand transferrin. The tetraspanin membrane protein TSPAN9 was critical for the efficient fusion of low pH-triggered virus with the endosome membrane. FUZ and TSPAN9 were broadly required for infection by the alphaviruses Sindbis virus, Semliki Forest virus, and Chikungunya virus, but were not required by the structurally-related flavivirus Dengue virus. Our results highlight the unanticipated functions of FUZ and TSPAN9 in distinct steps of alphavirus entry and suggest novel host proteins that may serve as targets for antiviral therapy.     

Dynamin- and Clathrin-Dependent Endocytosis in African Swine Fever Virus Entry

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a large DNA virus that enters host cells after receptor-mediated endocytosis and depends on acidic cellular compartments for productive infection. The exact cellular mechanism, however, is largely unknown. In order to dissect ASFV entry, we have analyzed the major endocytic routes using specific inhibitors and dominant negative mutants and analyzed the consequences for ASFV entry into host cells. Our results indicate that ASFV entry into host cells takes place by clathrin-mediated endocytosis which requires dynamin GTPase activity. Also, the clathrin-coated pit component Eps15 was identified as a relevant cellular factor during infection. The presence of cholesterol in cellular membranes, but not lipid rafts or caveolae, was found to be essential for a productive ASFV infection. In contrast, inhibitors of the Na⁺/H⁺ ion channels and actin polymerization inhibition did not significantly modify ASFV infection, suggesting that macropinocytosis does not represent the main entry route for ASFV. These results suggest a dynamin-dependent and clathrin-mediated endocytic pathway of ASFV entry for the cell types and viral strains analyzed.Many animal viruses have evolved to exploit endocytosis to gain entry into host cells after initial attachment of virions to specific cell surface receptors. To date, a number of different routes of endocytosis used by viruses have been characterized, including clathrin-mediated endocytosis, uptake via caveolae/lipid rafts, macropinocytosis, phagocytosis, and other routes that are currently poorly understood.In recent years, viruses have also been used as tools to study cellular endocytosis and membrane trafficking at the molecular level, with there being special interest in the regulation of the diverse routes (31), since examples of viruses using each route can be found (reviewed in references 26, 31, and 38). The clathrin-mediated endocytic route has been the most extensively studied at the molecular level, and it has been shown to be used by diverse mammalian enveloped viruses, such as vesicular stomatitis virus (42), Semliki Forest virus (19), and West Nile virus (11), to infect cells. Influenza virus and HIV-1 also can use this pathway as an alternative route of entry (12, 39). Clathrin is assembled on the inside face of the plasma membrane to form a characteristic coated pit (CCP). During this process, clathrin also interacts with a number of essential molecules, including Eps15, adapter protein AP2, and dynamin GTPase (9). Additionally, clathrin-mediated endocytosis also provides endocytic vesicles as an acidified environment for those viruses that require a low-pH step during the first stages of infection to initiate capsid destabilization and genome uncoating. On the other hand, the lipid raft/caveola-based route is generally used by those acid-independent viruses. Recently, macropinocytosis is generating growing interest, since it has been demonstrated to be induced by some viruses from diverse families, such as vaccinia virus and adenovirus serotype 3 (5, 29), to gain entry into cells.In this study, we have focused on the entry of African swine fever virus (ASFV), a large enveloped DNA virus with a genomic composition similar to that of poxviruses, although the virion structure and morphology resemble those of iridoviruses. At present, it is the sole member of the newly created family Asfarviridae (16, 43). It is the etiologic agent responsible for a highly lethal and hemorrhagic disease affecting domestic swine, which often results in important economic losses in affected countries because of the high rate of mortality associated with this illness and the lack of an effective vaccine.Early studies of the entry of BA71V, a Vero cell-adapted ASFV strain, into host cells showed that this internalization of virus particles is a temperature-, energy-, and low-pH-dependent process, since it does not occur at 4°C or in the presence of inhibitors of cellular respiration or lysosomotropic agents (2, 44). All these features are consistent with a receptor-mediated endocytosis mechanism of entry. However, there are still numerous questions to be answered. One of them is the nature of the cellular receptor(s) that mediates ASFV entry, which remains largely unknown, although a correlation between cell susceptibility to infection and expression of porcine CD163 on the surface of swine monocytes/macrophages has been reported (36). In regard to the viral components involved in this initial step, the p12 and p54 proteins were shown to play a role during attachment to the cell surface and p30 during internalization, as inferred from previous studies with neutralizing antibodies against p30 and p54 (17) and blockage of infection after saturation of virus binding sites with recombinant p12 (6). Early electron microscopy (EM) studies (2, 45) revealed that attachment of ASFV virions to the cell surface often occurs in coated pits; however, their later presence inside coated vesicles is not fully clear. After attachment, virions are detected inside endosomes, where fusion with the viral membrane takes place. The ASFV cycle continues with the transport of viral cores via retrograde transport along microtubules to reach a perinuclear area, known as the viral factory, where replication occurs (4).In recent times, knowledge about different endocytic pathways and their regulatory molecules has notably increased, and the development of molecular tools to study these processes is becoming increasingly precise (38). In the present study, we examined the ASFV infection using a variety of chemical inhibitors and dominant negative molecules to disrupt different endocytic pathways. Our results confirmed a major role for dynamin-dependent and clathrin-mediated endocytosis during the first stages of ASFV infection, with no significant differences in the behavior of the two ASFV strains and the two cell lines analyzed.     

Echovirus 7 Entry into Polarized Caco-2 Intestinal Epithelial Cells Involves Core Components of the Autophagy Machinery

Echovirus 7 enters polarized Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cells by a clathrin-mediated endocytic process and then moves through the endosomal system before releasing its genome into the cytoplasm. We examined the possible role in virus entry of core components of the autophagy machinery. We found that depletion of Beclin-1, Atg12, Atg14, Atg16, or LC3 with specific small interfering RNAs inhibited echovirus 7 infection upstream of uncoating but had little or no effect on virus attachment to the cell surface. These data indicate that multiple autophagy-related proteins are important for one or more events that occur after the virus has bound its receptor on the cell surface but before RNA is released from the virus capsid. Although we have not determined the mechanism by which each protein contributes to virus entry, we found that stable depletion of Atg16L1 interfered with virus internalization from the cell surface rather than with intracellular trafficking. Autophagy gene products may thus participate in the endocytic process that moves virus into polarized Caco-2 cells.     

Macrophage Receptors for Influenza A Virus: Role of the Macrophage Galactose-Type Lectin and Mannose Receptor in Viral Entry

Although sialic acid has long been recognized as the primary receptor determinant for attachment of influenza virus to host cells, the specific receptor molecules that mediate viral entry are not known for any cell type. For the infection of murine macrophages by influenza virus, our earlier study indicated involvement of a C-type lectin, the macrophage mannose receptor (MMR), in this process. Here, we have used direct binding techniques to confirm and characterize the interaction of influenza virus with the MMR and to seek additional macrophage surface molecules that may have potential as receptors for viral entry. We identified the macrophage galactose-type lectin (MGL) as a second macrophage membrane C-type lectin that binds influenza virus and is known to be endocytic. Binding of influenza virus to MMR and MGL occurred independently of sialic acid through Ca²⁺-dependent recognition of viral glycans by the carbohydrate recognition domains of the two lectins; influenza virus also bound to the sialic acid on the MMR. Multivalent ligands of the MMR and MGL inhibited influenza virus infection of macrophages in a manner that correlated with expression of these receptors on different macrophage populations. Influenza virus strain A/PR/8/34, which is poorly glycosylated and infects macrophages poorly, was not recognized by the C-type lectin activity of either the MMR or the MGL. We conclude that lectin-mediated interactions of influenza virus with the MMR or the MGL are required for the endocytic uptake of the virus into macrophages, and these lectins can thus be considered secondary or coreceptors with sialic acid for infection of this cell type.Infection of host cells by influenza virus is initiated by attachment of virus to sialic acid residues on the host cell surface through the receptor-binding site at the distal tip of the viral hemagglutinin (HA) (43). After attachment, the virus is internalized by endocytosis, and acidification of the endosome triggers a conformational change in viral HA that results in fusion of the viral envelope and host cell membrane (34). At the cell surface, sialic acid residues are commonly found at the termini of oligosaccharide chains that are attached in O or N linkage to cell surface proteins; they are also an essential component of acidic glycosphingolipids (gangliosides) that are present in all mammalian cell membranes. Although the abundance of sialic acid on mammalian cells provides influenza virus with multiple potential receptors, virus attachment does not always lead to virus entry (5, 8, 46). Furthermore, sialic acid-independent infection of Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells by influenza virus has been reported (35). The specific host cell molecules that serve as functional receptors (or coreceptors) for the infectious entry of influenza virus have yet to be defined.We have studied the infectious entry of influenza virus into macrophages (Mφ), which represents an early event in recognition of the virus by the innate immune system (23, 44). After intranasal infection of mice, influenza virus replicates productively in cells of the respiratory epithelium. Mφ are also infected and viral proteins are produced, but replication is abortive and no live progeny are released (32); infection of Mφ is thus a dead-end for the virus leading to a reduction in viral load. In addition, influenza virus infection of Mφ stimulates production and release of proinflammatory cytokines and alpha/beta interferon (28), which may assist in further limiting viral replication and spread within the respiratory tract. Depletion of airway Mφ from mice prior to intranasal influenza virus infection leads to increased virus titers in the lung, attesting to the important role of Mφ in early host defense against the virus (38, 44).We observed in a previous study (30) that influenza A virus strains differed in their ability to infect murine Mφ, strains carrying a more highly glycosylated hemagglutinin (HA) molecule being more efficient at infecting Mφ than less glycosylated strains, although binding of viruses to the Mφ cell surface was equivalent. Our investigation of this phenomenon indicated involvement of the Mφ mannose receptor MMR (CD206), a C-type lectin, in infectious viral entry (29, 30). The involvement of other receptors was not excluded, and our subsequent observation that influenza virus can infect the RAW 264.7 Mφ cell line, which does not express the MMR, indeed points to the existence of other routes of infectious entry of the virus into Mφ.In the present study we used direct binding methods to confirm and characterize the interaction of influenza virus with the MMR and to seek additional Mφ surface molecules that may have potential as receptors for viral entry. We identify the Mφ galactose-type lectin (MGL) as a second Mφ membrane C-type lectin that binds influenza virus and investigate its involvement in the infectious process.     

RNA interference mediated inhibition of dengue virus multiplication and entry in HepG2 cells

Background

Dengue virus-host cell interaction initiates when the virus binds to the attachment receptors followed by endocytic internalization of the virus particle. Successful entry into the cell is necessary for infection initiation. Currently, there is no protective vaccine or antiviral treatment for dengue infection. Targeting the viral entry pathway has become an attractive therapeutic strategy to block infection. This study aimed to investigate the effect of silencing the GRP78 and clathrin-mediated endocytosis on dengue virus entry and multiplication into HepG2 cells.

Methodology/Principal Findings

HepG2 cells were transfected using specific siRNAs to silence the cellular surface receptor (GRP78) and clathrin-mediated endocytosis pathway. Gene expression analysis showed a marked down-regulation of the targeted genes (87.2%, 90.3%, and 87.8% for GRP78, CLTC, and DNM2 respectively) in transfected HepG2 cells when measured by RT-qPCR. Intracellular and extracellular viral RNA loads were quantified by RT-qPCR to investigate the effect of silencing the attachment receptor and clathrin-mediated endocytosis on dengue virus entry. Silenced cells showed a significant reduction of intracellular (92.4%) and extracellular viral RNA load (71.4%) compared to non-silenced cells. Flow cytometry analysis showed a marked reduction of infected cells (89.7%) in silenced HepG2 cells compared to non-silenced cells. Furthermore, the ability to generate infectious virions using the plaque assay was reduced 1.07 log in silenced HepG2 cells.

Conclusions/Significance

Silencing the attachment receptor and clathrin-mediated endocytosis using siRNA could inhibit dengue virus entry and multiplication into HepG2 cells. This leads to reduction of infected cells as well as the viral load, which might function as a unique and promising therapeutic agent for attenuating dengue infection and prevent the development of dengue fever to the severe life-threatening DHF or DSS. Furthermore, a decrease of viremia in humans can result in the reduction of infected vectors and thus, halt of the transmission cycle.     

Influenza A virus H5N1 entry into host cells is through clathrin-dependent endocytosis

Influenza A virus H5N1 presents a major threat to human health. The entry of influenza virus into host cells is believed to be mediated by hemagglutinin (HA), a virus surface glycoprotein that can bind terminal sialic acid residues on host cell glycoproteins and glycolipids. In this study, we elucidated the pathways through which H5N1 enters human lung carcinoma cell line A549. We first proved that H5N1 can enter A549 cells via endocytosis, as lysosomotropic agents, such as bafilomycin A1 and chloroquine, can rescue H5N1-induced A549 cell death. By using specific inhibitors, and siRNAs that target the clathrin pathway, we further found that H5N1 could enter A549 cells via clathrin-mediated endocytosis, while inhibitors targeting caveolae-mediated endocytosis could not inhibit H5N1 cell entry. These findings expand our understanding of H5N1 pathogenesis and provide new information for anti-viral drug research. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 30623009) and National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2005CB523000)     

Cellular proteasome activity facilitates herpes simplex virus entry at a postpenetration step

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) entry into cells is a multistep process that engages the host cell machinery. The proteasome is a large, ATP-dependent, multisubunit protease that plays a critical role in the maintenance of cell homeostasis. A battery of assays were used to demonstrate that proteasome inhibitors blocked an early step in HSV entry that occurred after capsid penetration into the cytosol but prior to capsid arrival at the nuclear periphery. Proteasome-dependent viral entry was not reliant on host or viral protein synthesis. MG132, a peptide aldehyde that competitively inhibits the degradative activity of the proteasome, had a reversible inhibitory effect on HSV entry. HSV can use endocytic or nonendocytic pathways to enter cells. These distinct entry routes were both dependent on proteasome-mediated proteolysis. In addition, HSV successfully entered cells in the absence of a functional host ubiquitin-activating enzyme, suggesting that viral entry is ubiquitin independent. We propose that proteasomal degradation of virion and/or host proteins is required for efficient delivery of incoming HSV capsids to the nucleus.     

Differential requirements of Rab5 and Rab7 for endocytosis of influenza and other enveloped viruses

Enveloped viruses often enter cells via endocytosis; however, specific endocytic trafficking pathway(s) for many viruses have not been determined. Here we demonstrate, through the use of dominant-negative Rab5 and Rab7, that influenza virus (Influenza A/WSN/33 (H1N1) and A/X-31 (H3N2)) requires both early and late endosomes for entry and subsequent infection in HeLa cells. Time-course experiments, monitoring viral ribonucleoprotein colocalization with endosomal markers, indicated that influenza exhibits a conventional endocytic uptake pattern – reaching early endosomes after approximately 10 min, and late endosomes after 40 min. Detection with conformation-specific hemagglutinin antibodies indicated that hemagglutinin did not reach a fusion-competent form until the virus had trafficked beyond early endosomes. We also examined two other enveloped viruses that are also pH-dependent for entry – Semliki Forest virus and vesicular stomatitis virus. In contrast to influenza virus, infection with both Semliki Forest virus and vesicular stomatitis virus was inhibited only by the expression of dominant negative Rab5 and not by dominant negative Rab7, indicating an independence of late endosome function for infection by these viruses. As a whole, these data provide a definitive characterization of influenza virus endocytic trafficking and show differential requirements for endocytic trafficking between pH-dependent enveloped viruses .     

Adenovirus endocytosis

Pathogen entry into cells occurs by direct penetration of the plasma membrane, clathrin-mediated endocytosis, caveolar endocytosis, pinocytosis or macropinocytosis. For a particular agent, the infectious pathways are typically restricted, reflecting a tight relationship with the host. Here, we survey the uptake process of human adenovirus (Ad) type 2 and 5 and integrate it into the cell biology of endocytosis. Ad2 and Ad5 naturally infect respiratory epithelial cells. They bind to a primary receptor, the coxsackie virus B Ad receptor (CAR). The CAR-docked particles activate integrin coreceptors and this triggers a variety of cell responses, including endocytosis. Ad2/Ad5 endocytosis is clathrin-mediated and involves the large GTPase dynamin and the adaptor protein 2. A second endocytic process is induced simultaneously with viral uptake, macropinocytosis. Together, these pathways are associated with viral infection. Macropinocytosis requires integrins, F-actin, protein kinase C and small G-proteins of the Rho family, but not dynamin. Macropinocytosis per se is not required for viral uptake into epithelial cells, but it appears to be a productive entry pathway of Ad artificially targeted to the high-affinity Fcgamma receptor CD64 of hematopoietic cells lacking CAR. In epithelial and hematopoietic cells, the macropinosomal contents are released to the cytosol. This requires viral signalling from the surface and coincides with particle escape from endosomes and infection. It emerges that incoming Ad2 and Ad5 distinctly modulate the endocytic trafficking and disrupt selective cellular compartments. These features can be exploited for effective artificial targeting of Ad vectors to cell types of interest.