Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Cellular Entry and Host Range Restriction of Lujo Virus

Abstract

Lujo virus (LUJV) infects humans with high mortality rates, but the host range of LUJV remains unknown. We found that rodent-derived cell lines were less susceptible to LUJV infection than were human-derived cell lines, and the differential susceptibilities were determined by the difference of CD63, the intercellular receptor of LUJV.

Vaccine Candidates against Arenavirus Infections

“…Mopeia virus (MOPV) is also found in this rodent throughout Mozambique and Zimbabwe, but has not been shown to cause human disease [ 12 , 13 , 14 ]. LUJV caused a small outbreak of Lujo hemorrhagic fever (LHF) in 2008 in Zambia and South Africa ( Figure 2 ); the natural host of LUJV is still unknown [ 15 , 16 , 17 ]. The NW arenaviruses are distributed throughout the South and North American continents and are further divided phylogenetically into four clades: Clade A, B, C, and A/Rec (D) ( Figure 1 and Figure 2 ).…”

Diversity and independent evolutionary profiling of rodent-borne viruses in Hainan, a tropical island of China

“…Many of these family viruses include multiple agents associated with acute gastroenteritis or febrile illnesses that can cause severe diseases in humans. Lassa virus (LASV) ( Zhu et al., 2021b ), Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), Tacaribe, Machupo, Junin ( Huang et al., 2017 ), Guanarinto, Sabia, and the recently discovered White-Water Arroyo ( Guo et al., 2013 ) and Lujo viruses ( Saito et al., 2021 ) are high-impact pathogens belonging to the Arenaviridae family. HanVs infect a wide range of mammalian hosts; Hanta, Seoul, Puumala, and Sin nombre viruses are etiological agents of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome in humans ( Wu et al., 2018a ).…”

Inhibitors of cannabinoid receptor 1 suppress the cellular entry of Lujo virus

“…CD63, a tetraspanin residing in intracellular vesicles including endosomes and lysosomes, promotes LUJV GP-mediated membrane fusion (Raaben et al, 2017). Recent studies have shown that CD63 is an important factor in determining the host range of LUJV (Saito et al, 2021).…”