title: African swine fever virus infects macrophages, the natural host cells, via clathrin- and cholesterol-dependent endocytosis.
abstract: The main cellular target for African swine fever virus (ASFV) is the porcine macrophage. However, existing data about the early phases of infection were previously characterized in non-leukocyte cells such as Vero cells. Here, we report that ASFV enters the natural host cell using dynamin-dependent and clathrin-mediated endocytosis. This pathway is strongly pH-dependent during the first steps of infection in porcine macrophages. We investigated the effect of drugs inhibiting several endocytic pathways in macrophages and compared ASFV with vaccinia virus (VV), which apparently involves different entry pathways. The presence of cholesterol in cellular membranes was found to be essential for a productive ASFV infection while actin-dependent endocytosis and the participation of phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) activity were other cellular factors required in the process of viral entry. These findings improved our understanding of the ASFV interactions with macrophages that allow for successful viral replication.
authors: Department of Biotechnology, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: galindo@inia.es.
authors: Inmaculada
authors: I
authors: Galindo
authors: Department of Biotechnology, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: cuesta.miguel@inia.es.
authors: Miguel Angel
authors: MA
authors: Cuesta-Geijo
authors: Department of Biotechnology, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: hlavova.k@gmail.com.
authors: Karolina
authors: K
authors: Hlavova
authors: Department of Biotechnology, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: raquel.munoz@mssm.edu.
authors: Raquel
authors: R
authors: Muñoz-Moreno
authors: Department of Biotechnology, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: barrado.lucia@inia.es.
authors: Lucía
authors: L
authors: Barrado-Gil
authors: Department of Biotechnology, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: juncal@inia.es.
authors: Javier
authors: J
authors: Dominguez
authors: Department of Biotechnology, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: calonso@inia.es.
authors: Covadonga
authors: C
authors: Alonso
mesh_terms: D000357:African Swine Fever / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology; D000358:African Swine Fever Virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism*; D002966:Clathrin / Q000378:metabolism*; D004705:Endocytosis; D008264:Macrophages / Q000821:virology*; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013552:Swine; D014709:Vero Cells; D053586:Virus Internalization
chemical_list: D002784:Cholesterol; D002966:Clathrin; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases
keywords: African swine fever and vaccinia virus entry; African swine fever virus; Endocytosis; Macrophages; Natural host cell; Virus entry