The alpha Gal Epitope of the Histo-Blood Group Antigen Family is a Ligand for Bovine Norovirus Newbury2 Expected to Prevent Cross-Species Transmission

Maha Zakhour (1, 2) , Nathalie Ruvoen-Clouet (1, 2, 3) , Annie Charpilienne (4, 5) , Brigitte Langpap (6) , Didier Poncet (4, 5) , Thomas Peters (6) , Nicolai Bovin (7) , Jacques Le Pendu (1, 2)

1 CRCINA-ÉQUIPE 9 - Apoptosis and Tumor Progression
2 UN - Université de Nantes
3 ONIRIS - École nationale vétérinaire, agroalimentaire et de l'alimentation Nantes-Atlantique
4 VMS - Virologie moléculaire et structurale
5 IFR 115 - Institut Fédératif de Recherche 115 - Génomes, Transcriptomes, Protéomes
6 Universität zu Lübeck = University of Lübeck [Lübeck]
7 Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry

Among Caliciviridae, the norovirus genus encompasses enteric viruses that infect humans as well as several animal species, causing gastroenteritis. Porcine strains are classified together with human strains within genogroup II, whilst bovine norovirus strains represent genogroup III. Various GI and GII human strains bind to carbohydrates of the histo-blood group family which may be shared among mammalian species. Genetic relatedness of human and animal strains as well as the presence of potentially shared ligands raises the possibility of norovirus cross-species transmission. In the present study, we identified a carbohydrate ligand for the prototype bovine norovirus strain Bo/Newbury2/76/UK (NB2). Attachment of virus-like particles (VLPs) of the NB2 strain to bovine gut tissue sections showed a complete match with the staining by reagents recognizing the Gal alpha 1,3 motif. Alpha-galactosidase treatment confirmed involvement of a terminal alpha-linked galactose. Specific binding of VLPs to the alpha Gal epitope (Gal alpha 3Gal beta 4GlcNAc beta-R) was observed. The binding of Gal alpha 3Gal alpha OMe to rNB2 VLPs was characterized at atomic resolution employing saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR experiments. Transfection of human cells with an alpha 1,3galactosyltransferase cDNA allowed binding of NB2 VLPs, whilst inversely, attachment to porcine vascular endothelial cells was lost when the cells originated from an alpha 1,3galactosyltransferase KO animal. The alpha Gal epitope is expressed in all mammalian species with the exception of the Hominidaea family due to the inactivation of the alpha 1,3galactosyltransferase gene (GGTA1). Accordingly, the NB2 carbohydrate ligand is absent from human tissues. Although expressed on porcine vascular endothelial cells, we observed that unlike in cows, it is not present on gut epithelial cells, suggesting that neither man nor pig could be infected by the NB2 bovine strain.

Mots clés: NORWALK-LIKE VIRUSES; HEMORRHAGIC-DISEASE VIRUS; TRANSFER DIFFERENCE NMR; ABO GENE FAMILY; STRUCTURAL-CHARACTERIZATION; MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION; ENTERIC CALICIVIRUSES; SUBMAXILLARY MUCIN; MASS-SPECTROMETRY; GENOGROUP-III

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Maha Zakhour, Nathalie Ruvoen-Clouet, Annie Charpilienne, Brigitte Langpap, Didier Poncet, et al.. The alpha Gal Epitope of the Histo-Blood Group Antigen Family is a Ligand for Bovine Norovirus Newbury2 Expected to Prevent Cross-Species Transmission. PLoS Pathogens, 2009, 5 (7), pp.1-14. ⟨10.1371/journal.ppat.1000504⟩. ⟨hal-02662372⟩