H19 Influenza A Virus Exhibits Species-specific MHC Class II Receptor Usage

Overview

Journal Cell Host Microbe

Publisher Cell Press

Specialties Infectious Diseases
Microbiology

Date 2024 Jun 18

PMID 38889725

Authors

Umut Karakus

Ignacio Mena

Jithesh Kottur

Sara S El Zahed

Rocio Seoane

Soner Yildiz

Leanne Chen

Magdalena Plancarte

LeAnn Lindsay

Rebecca Halpin

Timothy B Stockwell

David E Wentworth

Geert-Jan Boons

Florian Krammer

Silke Stertz

Walter Boyce

Robert P de Vries

Aneel K Aggarwal

Adolfo Garcia-Sastre

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Avian influenza A virus (IAV) surveillance in Northern California, USA, revealed unique IAV hemagglutinin (HA) genome sequences in cloacal swabs from lesser scaups. We found two closely related HA sequences in the same duck species in 2010 and 2013. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that both sequences belong to the recently discovered H19 subtype, which thus far has remained uncharacterized. We demonstrate that H19 does not bind the canonical IAV receptor sialic acid (Sia). Instead, H19 binds to the major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC class II), which facilitates viral entry. Unlike the broad MHC class II specificity of H17 and H18 from bat IAV, H19 exhibits a species-specific MHC class II usage that suggests a limited host range and zoonotic potential. Using cell lines overexpressing MHC class II, we rescued recombinant H19 IAV. We solved the H19 crystal structure and identified residues within the putative Sia receptor binding site (RBS) that impede Sia-dependent entry.

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