Work

GRK2 Mediates β-Arrestin Interactions with 5-HT 2 Receptors for JC Polyomavirus Endocytosis

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: As intracellular parasites, viruses require a host cell to replicate and cause disease. Therefore, virus-host interactions contribute to viral pathogenesis. JC polyomavirus (JCPyV) infects most of the population, establishing a lifelong asymptomatic infection within the kidney. Under conditions of severe immunosuppression JCPyV may spread to the central nervous system, causing the fatal demyelinating disease progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). Individuals living with HIV or undergoing immunomodulatory therapies are at risk for developing PML. The mechanisms of how JCPyV uses specific receptors on the surface of host cells to initiate internalization and infection is a poorly understood process. We have further identified cellular proteins involved in JCPyV internalization and infection and elucidated their specific interactions that are responsible for activation of receptors. Collectively, these findings illuminate how viruses usurp cellular receptors during infection, contributing to current development efforts for therapeutic options for the treatment or prevention of PML.

Source: Journal of Virology

DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02139-20

Authors: Colleen L. Mayberry, Michael P. Wilczek, Tristan M. Fong, Sarah L. Nichols, Melissa S. Maginnis

Institution: University of Maine

Language: English

Topic: Polyomavirus and related diseases

Subfield: Oncology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

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