The αGal Epitope of the Histo-Blood Group Antigen Family Is a Ligand for Bovine Norovirus Newbury2 Expected to Prevent Cross-Species Transmission

PLoS Pathogens

Annie Charpilienne¹  Brigitte Langpap²  Thomas Peters²  Nathalie Ruvoën-Clouet³  Maha Zakhour³  Jacques Le Pendu⁴  Nicolai Bovin⁵  Didier Poncet⁵ 

[1] Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Nantes, Nantes, France;INRA UMR 1157, CNRS UMR 2472, IFR 115, Gif sur Yvette, France;INSERM, U892, Université de Nantes, Institut de Biologie, Nantes, France;Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, Russia;University of Luebeck, Institute of Chemistry, Luebeck, Germany

关键词: Saliva;    Swine;    Lectins;    Red blood cells;    Blood groups;    Bovines;    Carbohydrates;    Epithelial cells;   

DOI  :  10.1371/journal.ppat.1000504

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Public Library of Science

【 摘 要 】

Among Caliciviridae, the norovirus genus encompasses enteric viruses that infect humans as well as several animal species, causing gastroenteritis. Porcine strains are classified together with human strains within genogroup II, whilst bovine norovirus strains represent genogroup III. Various GI and GII human strains bind to carbohydrates of the histo-blood group family which may be shared among mammalian species. Genetic relatedness of human and animal strains as well as the presence of potentially shared ligands raises the possibility of norovirus cross-species transmission. In the present study, we identified a carbohydrate ligand for the prototype bovine norovirus strain Bo/Newbury2/76/UK (NB2). Attachment of virus-like particles (VLPs) of the NB2 strain to bovine gut tissue sections showed a complete match with the staining by reagents recognizing the Galα1,3 motif. Alpha-galactosidase treatment confirmed involvement of a terminal alpha-linked galactose. Specific binding of VLPs to the αGal epitope (Galα3Galβ4GlcNAcβ-R) was observed. The binding of Galα3GalαOMe to rNB2 VLPs was characterized at atomic resolution employing saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR experiments. Transfection of human cells with an α1,3galactosyltransferase cDNA allowed binding of NB2 VLPs, whilst inversely, attachment to porcine vascular endothelial cells was lost when the cells originated from an α1,3galactosyltransferase KO animal. The αGal epitope is expressed in all mammalian species with the exception of the Hominidaea family due to the inactivation of the α1,3galactosyltransferase gene (GGTA1). Accordingly, the NB2 carbohydrate ligand is absent from human tissues. Although expressed on porcine vascular endothelial cells, we observed that unlike in cows, it is not present on gut epithelial cells, suggesting that neither man nor pig could be infected by the NB2 bovine strain.

【 授权许可】

CC BY