title: prM-antibody renders immature West Nile virus infectious in vivo.
abstract: West Nile virus (WNV) is a member of the family Flaviviridae and is a neurotropic pathogen responsible for severe human disease. Flavivirus-infected cells release virus particles that contain variable numbers of precursor membrane (prM) protein molecules at the viral surface. Consequently, antibodies are produced against the prM protein. These antibodies have been shown to activate the infectious potential of fully immature flavivirus particles in vitro. Here, we provide in vivo proof that prM antibodies render immature WNV infectious. Infection with antibody-opsonized immature WNV particles caused disease and death of mice, and infectious WNV was found in the brains and sera.
authors.affiliation: Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
authors.forename: Tonya M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Colpitts
authors.affiliation: Section of Molecular Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Groningen and University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Izabela
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rodenhuis-Zybert
authors.affiliation: Section of Molecular Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Groningen and University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Bastiaan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Moesker
authors.affiliation: Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
authors.forename: Penghua
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
authors.forename: Erol
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fikrig
authors.affiliation: Section of Molecular Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Groningen and University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jolanda M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Smit
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019138:Antibodies, Blocking / Q000378:metabolism*; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000378:metabolism*; D019067:Antibody-Dependent Enhancement; D001921:Brain / Q000821:virology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D051379:Mice; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D044967:Serum / Q000821:virology; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D053586:Virus Internalization; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D019138:Antibodies, Blocking; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C074932:prM protein, Flavivirus