A C-type lectin collaborates with a CD45 phosphatase homolog to facilitate West Nile virus infection of mosquitoes

Cell. 2010 Sep 3;142(5):714-25. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2010.07.038.

Abstract

West Nile virus (WNV) is the most common arthropod-borne flavivirus in the United States; however, the vector ligand(s) that participate in infection are not known. We now show that an Aedes aegypti C-type lectin, mosGCTL-1, is induced by WNV, interacts with WNV in a calcium-dependent manner, and facilitates infection in vivo and in vitro. A mosquito homolog of human CD45 in A. aegypti, designated mosPTP-1, recruits mosGCTL-1 to enable viral attachment to cells and to enhance viral entry. In vivo experiments show that mosGCTL-1 and mosPTP-1 function as part of the same pathway and are critical for WNV infection of mosquitoes. A similar phenomenon was also observed in Culex quinquefasciatus, a natural vector of WNV, further demonstrating that these genes participate in WNV infection. During the mosquito blood-feeding process, WNV infection was blocked in vivo with mosGCTL-1 antibodies. A molecular understanding of flaviviral-arthropod interactions may lead to strategies to control viral dissemination in nature.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aedes / virology*
  • Animals
  • Culex / virology*
  • Humans
  • Insect Proteins / metabolism*
  • Lectins, C-Type / metabolism*
  • Leukocyte Common Antigens / chemistry
  • Leukocyte Common Antigens / metabolism*
  • Virus Internalization*
  • West Nile virus / physiology*

Substances

  • Insect Proteins
  • Lectins, C-Type
  • Leukocyte Common Antigens
  • PTPRC protein, human