The findings of professor Yiwu Zhou's research team of the department of Forensic Medicine was published on international academic journal Small

Author: Source: Date:September 3, 2019 Cilk Times:[]


Professor Yiwu Zhou’s research team revealed the detailed dynamic process of cell invasion by fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus.


The research team of professor Yiwu Zhou from the department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji medical college, Huazhong University of Science and Technology has made important progress in the invasion mechanism of the severe infectious disease fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS)", and the relevant results have been published in the international academic journal Small (IF=10.856).The paper is entitled Single-particle Tracking the Sequential Entry Process of the Bunyavirus Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus. This study systematically and visually revealed the dynamic process of SFTSV cell invasion and its virus-host interaction.

Fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is a new tick-borne and highly pathogenic Bunya virus found in China in recent years. At present, there are still no effective vaccines and drugs to prevent, control or treat related diseases. Invasion is the first key step of virus infection as well as the target of many antiviral drugs. Currently, there is a lack of in-depth research on the invasion of Bunya virus. In this study, the dynamic process of SFTSV invasion into host cells and release in cytoplasm were systematically revealed for the first time through single particle tracer technique based on quantum dot labeling and multi-color imaging. Studies have shown that SFTSV can recruit clathrin in cytoplasm onto the cytoplasmic membrane, forming clathrin-coated pits (CCPs) for assembly. Under the action of dynamin, the virus particles coated by CCPs escape from the plasma membrane, transform into clathrin-coated vesicles (CCVs) and enter the cytoplasm. After the virus enters the cytoplasm with endocytic vesicles, the clathrin coated on the surface of CCVs gradually dissociates, presenting virions to the early endosome, and then to the late endosome. The cytoskeleton transportation of the virus near the cytoplasmic membrane relies on microfilaments, while in the cytoplasm it mainly relies on microtubules. Finally, virions fuse with endosome membrane under the trigger of late endosome acidic environment (~pH5.6), release nucleic acid and complete the whole invasion process. This study thoroughly revealed the mechanism of SFTSV invasion and laid a foundation for elucidating the mechanism of SFTSV infection and the prevention as well as the treatment of SFTSV with thrombocytopenia syndrome.

Liu Jia, postdoctoral fellow of the department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji medical college, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, was the first author of the paper; and Yiwu Zhou, professor of Tongji medical college, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Wang Manli, associate researcher of Wuhan Institute of Viruses, Chinese Academy of Sciences, were the co-corresponding authors of the paper. The research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China; Basic Research in Universities directly under the central government; the Open Research Fund Program of State Key Laboratory of Virology of China, etc.


The mechanism by which SFTSV invades host cells


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