Work

The PI3K/Akt Pathway Contributes to Arenavirus Budding

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: Several arenaviruses, chiefly Lassa virus (LASV), cause hemorrhagic fever (HF) disease in humans and pose a significant public health concern in regions where they are endemic. On the other hand, evidence indicates that the globally distributed prototypic arenavirus lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) is a neglected human pathogen. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway participates in many cellular processes, including cell survival and differentiation, and also has been shown to play important roles in different steps of the life cycles of a variety of viruses. Here we report that the inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway inhibited budding and to a lesser extent RNA synthesis, but not cell entry, of LCMV. Accordingly, BEZ-235, a PI3K inhibitor currently in cancer clinical trials, inhibited LCMV multiplication in cultured cells. These findings, together with those previously reported for Junin virus (JUNV), indicate that targeting the PI3K/Akt pathway could represent a novel antiviral strategy to combat human-pathogenic arenaviruses.

Source: Journal of Virology

DOI: 10.1128/jvi.06604-11

Authors: Shuzo Urata, Nhi Ngo, Juan Carlos de la Torre

Institution: Scripps Research Institute

Language: English

Topic: Viral Infections and Vectors

Subfield: Infectious Diseases

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases