Rotavirus Entry into Tissue Culture Cells

Abstract

Rotavirus (RV) is a triple-protein-layered icosahedral virus, for which studies have established that the two outer-layer proteins, viral protein 4 (VP4) and viral protein 7 (VP7), are required for viral infectivity (1,2). VP7, a glycoprotein, is the major component of the outer-layer, but its role in viral entry is unclear. VP4 forms dimers extending out from the VP7-coated viral surface (3,4) and have been shown to be a determinant of host range and virulence, and is directly involved in cell attachment and RV entry into cells (5-8). Proteolytic cleavage of VP4 into two noncovalently associated subunits, VP8* and VP5* (2,9,10), significantly enhances viral infectivity (11-13).