Abstract
Group B coxsackieviruses (CVB) are associated with viral-induced heart disease and are among the leading causes of aseptic meningitis worldwide. Here we show that CVB entry into polarized brain microvasculature and aortic endothelial cells triggers a depletion of intracellular calcium stores initiated through viral attachment to the apical attachment factor decay-accelerating factor. Calcium release was dependent upon a signaling cascade that required the activity of the Src family of tyrosine kinases, phospholipase C, and the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor isoform 3. CVB-mediated calcium release was required for the activation of calpain-2, a calcium-dependent cysteine protease, which controlled the vesicular trafficking of internalized CVB particles. These data point to a specific role for calcium signaling in CVB entry into polarized endothelial monolayers and highlight the unique signaling mechanisms used by these viruses to cross endothelial barriers.
Highlights
Coxsackievirus B (CVB), a member of the enterovirus family, is associated with a number of diverse syndromes including aseptic meningitis, myocarditis, febrile illness, and diabetes [1]
We found that intracellular calcium stores in polarized endothelial monolayers are depleted upon exposure to coxsackievirus B (CVB) and that this release is mediated by viral attachment to its receptor decay-accelerating factor
We discovered that the calcium release requires the activation of signaling molecules involved in calcium signaling such as Src tyrosine kinases, phospholipase C, and the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor isoform 3 on the ER membrane
Summary
Coxsackievirus B (CVB), a member of the enterovirus family, is associated with a number of diverse syndromes including aseptic meningitis, myocarditis, febrile illness, and diabetes [1]. CVBs likely access secondary sites of infection via transmission through an endothelial monolayer such as that of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and/or venous endothelium. Both polarized epithelial and endothelial cells function to prevent pathogen access to the interstitium, CVBs have developed strategies to subvert these barriers in order to promote their entry and/or dissemination. We have shown that CVB entry into polarized intestinal epithelial cells requires the activation of specific intracellular signaling molecules to promote viral endocytosis [2,3]. It remains unclear if CVB requires the initiation of host cell signaling to facilitate its entry (a process involving both endocytosis and vesicular trafficking) into the endothelium and whether the same signals are required between the epithelium and endothelium
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