Functional and Structural Studies of Alphavirus-Receptor Interactions

Alphaviruses are mosquito-borne viruses that can cause disease in humans and animals. Alphaviruses bind to proteinaceous receptors found on the surface of host cells in the first step of the virus life cycle. Multiple studies have revealed that alphavirus interactions with cellular receptors are plastic, with receptor-binding patterns that vary across viral species even for the same receptor and that also vary in different infected hosts. We discuss recent progress on the functional and structural understanding of alphavirus interactions with cellular receptors, with implications for understanding alphavirus tissue tropism, pathogenesis, and evolution.