title: Integrin alphavbeta3 is a coreceptor for human cytomegalovirus.
abstract: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a widespread opportunistic pathogen that causes birth defects in newborns and severe disease in immunocompromised individuals. The broad tropism of HCMV infection suggests that it uses multiple receptors. We recently showed that the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) serves as a receptor for HCMV. Here we show that HCMV also uses integrin alphavbeta3 as a coreceptor. Upon infection, HCMV glycoproteins gB and gH independently bind to EGFR and alphavbeta3, respectively, to initiate viral entry and signaling. Alphavbeta3 then translocates to lipid rafts where it interacts with EGFR to induce coordinated signaling. The coordination between EGFR and alphavbeta3 is essential for the early events of HCMV infection, including viral entry, RhoA downregulation, stress-fiber disassembly and viral nuclear trafficking. Our findings support a model in which EGFR and alphavbeta3 work together as coreceptors for HCMV entry and signaling. This discovery is fundamental to understanding HCMV pathogenesis and developing treatment strategies targeted to viral receptors.
authors.affiliation: Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, CB#7295, Lineberger Building, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: David Y
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Shu-Mei
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Huong
authors.forename: Eng-Shang
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D002460:Cell Line; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000378:metabolism*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000378:metabolism*; D017931:DNA Primers; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D039302:Integrin alphaVbeta3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D021962:Membrane Microdomains / Q000378:metabolism; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D020742:rhoA GTP-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D039302:Integrin alphaVbeta3; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C066737:RHOA protein, human; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D020742:rhoA GTP-Binding Protein