Tulane virus recognizes the A type 3 and B histo-blood group antigens.
Tulane virus (TV), the prototype of the Recovirus genus in the calicivirus family, was isolated from the stools of rhesus monkeys and can be cultivated in vitro in monkey kidney cells. TV is genetically closely related to the genus Norovirus and recognizes the histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs), similarly to human noroviruses (NoVs), making it a valuable surrogate for human NoVs. However, the precise structures of HBGAs recognized by TV remain elusive. In this study, we performed binding and blocking experiments on TV with extended HBGA types and showed that, while TV binds all four types (types 1 to 4) of the B antigens, it recognizes only the A type 3 antigen among four types of A antigens tested. The requirements for HBGAs in TV replication were demonstrated by blocking of TV replication in cell culture using the A type 3/4 and B saliva samples. Similar results were also observed in oligosaccharide-based blocking assays. Importantly, the previously reported, unexplained increase in TV replication by oligosaccharide in cell-based blocking assays has been clarified, which will facilitate the application of TV as a surrogate for human NoVs.


OBJECTIVE
Our understanding of the role of HBGAs in NoV infection has been significantly advanced in the past decade, but direct evidence for HBGAs as receptors for human NoVs remains lacking due to a lack of a cell culture method. TV recognizes HBGAs and can replicate in vitro, providing a valuable surrogate for human NoVs. However, TV binds to some but not all saliva samples from A-positive individuals, and an unexplained observation of synthetic oligosaccharide blocking of TV binding has been reported. These issues have been resolved in this study.
Division of Infectious Diseases, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Dongsheng
D
Zhang
Division of Infectious Diseases, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Pengwei
P
Huang
Department of Chemistry and Alberta Glycomics Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Lu
L
Zou
Department of Chemistry and Alberta Glycomics Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Todd L
TL
Lowary
Division of Infectious Diseases, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Ming
M
Tan
Division of Infectious Diseases, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA jason.jiang@cchmc.org.
Xi
X
Jiang
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002139:Caliciviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D011485:Protein Binding; D053585:Virus Attachment; D014779:Virus Replication
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System