One-sentence summary: This review addresses the structural rearrangements of dengue virus proteins and their functions during virus entry into the host cells, exploring (a) the cellular elements involved in virus binding to mammalian and mosquito cells, (b) the internalization routes that ultimately lead to virus entry into the cell and (c) the mechanisms by which viral genome gain access to the cytoplasm, including original insights from our recent work that supports the hypothesis that the capsid protein has a role in this process.
Editor: Urs Greber
ABSTRACTDengue is the most prevalent arthropod-borne viral disease, caused by dengue virus, a member of the Flaviviridae family. Its worldwide incidence is now a major health problem, with 2.5 billion people living in risk areas. In this review, we integrate the structural rearrangements of each viral protein and their functions in all the steps of virus entry into the host cells. We describe in detail the putative receptors and attachment factors in mammalian and mosquito cells, and the recognition of viral immunocomplexes via Fcγ receptor in immune cells. We also discuss that virus internalization might occur through distinct entry pathways, including clathrin-mediated or non-classical clathrin-independent endocytosis, depending on the host cell and virus serotype or strain. The implications of viral maturation in virus entry are also explored. Finally, we discuss the mechanisms of viral genome access to the cytoplasm. This includes the role of low pH-induced conformational changes in the envelope protein that mediate membrane fusion, and original insights raised by our recent work that supports the hypothesis that capsid protein would also be an active player in this process, acting on viral genome translocation into the cytoplasm.