Study on the Mechanism of Human Metapneumovirus Activating EGFR to Promote Virus Entry

WU Tingting, ZHANG Pan, LI Zhiyu, YANG Hui, ZHAO Yao^*

(Department of Pediatric Research Institute of Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University/National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders/Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders/China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders/Chongqing Key Laboratory of Child Infection and Immunity, Chongqing 400014, China)

Abstract:

Previous researches have revealed that lipid rafts involve in the cell entry of hMPV (human metapneumovirus virus). EGFR is a transmembrane glycoprotein located on membrane lipid rafts, which plays an important role in the infection of a variety of viruses. Therefore, this study aims to explore the role and related mechanism of EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) in hMPV infection. Human bronchial epithelial cells 16HBE were used to detect EGFR activation after hMPV infection at a specific time using Western blot. The activators and inhibitors were used to alter the expression and activation levels of EGFR, which was applied to hMPV and the virus titer was determined by real-time quantitative PCR. The results showed that the phosphorylation level of EGFR was significantly increased within 5 min of hMPV entry and reached the maximum at 15 min. Activated EGFR prior to infection promoted hMPV entry, while inhibition of EGFR reduced viral titer. The results demonstrate that hMPV infection activates EGFR, which promotes virus entry.

CSTR: 32200.14.cjcb.2020.12.0004