title: VP24 Is a Chitin-Binding Protein Involved in White Spot Syndrome Virus Infection.
abstract: Oral ingestion is the major route of infection for the white spot syndrome virus (WSSV). However, the mechanism by which virus particles in the digestive tract invade host cells is unknown. In the present study, we demonstrate that WSSV virions can bind to chitin through one of the major envelope proteins (VP24). Mutagenesis analysis indicated that amino acids (aa) 186 to 200 in the C terminus of VP24 were required for chitin binding. Moreover, the P-VP24186-200 peptide derived from the VP24 chitin binding region significantly inhibited the VP24-chitin interaction and the WSSV-chitin interaction, implying that VP24 participates in WSSV binding to chitin. Oral inoculation experiments showed that P-VP24186-200 treatment reduced the number of virus particles remaining in the digestive tract during the early stage of infection and greatly hindered WSSV proliferation in shrimp. These data indicate that binding of WSSV to chitin through the viral envelope protein VP24 is essential for WSSV per os infection and provide new ideas for preventing WSSV infection in shrimp farms.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In this study, we show that WSSV can bind to chitin through the envelope protein VP24. The chitin-binding domain of VP24 maps to amino acids 186 to 200 in the C terminus. Binding of WSSV to chitin through the viral envelope protein VP24 is essential for WSSV per os infection. These findings not only extend our knowledge of WSSV infection but also provide new insights into strategies to prevent WSSV infection in shrimp farms.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, South China Sea Bio-Resource Exploitation and Utilization Collaborative Innovation Center, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen, China.
authors.forename: Zaipeng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, South China Sea Bio-Resource Exploitation and Utilization Collaborative Innovation Center, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen, China lifang_87@163.com yangfeng5274@163.com.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, South China Sea Bio-Resource Exploitation and Utilization Collaborative Innovation Center, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen, China.
authors.forename: Yali
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, South China Sea Bio-Resource Exploitation and Utilization Collaborative Innovation Center, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen, China.
authors.forename: Limei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, South China Sea Bio-Resource Exploitation and Utilization Collaborative Innovation Center, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen, China lifang_87@163.com yangfeng5274@163.com.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002686:Chitin / Q000378:metabolism*; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D004064:Digestive System / Q000821:virology; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D033561:Penaeidae / Q000821:virology*; D011485:Protein Binding; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014779:Virus Replication; D046848:White spot syndrome virus 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D002686:Chitin