Roles of integrins in rotavirus cell attachment, entry and tropism

Funding Activity

Website
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/208900

Funding Status
Closed

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Funded Activity Summary

In this project, we aim to discover how rotavirus, the main cause of infantile gastroenteritis, attaches to the surface of cells. Previously, we have shown that rotavirus binds to certain members of the integrin family of proteins on the cell surface. These proteins are intimately involved in cell adhesion, movement, communication and growth. We will continue studies aimed at identifying at the molecular level the requirements for rotavirus interactions with these integrins. It will also be determined whether expression of these integrins on cells from the intestine, kidney, pancreas and immune system is a requirement for the cells to be infected with rotavirus. Previously, we have shown that rotavirus infection may be linked with progression of at-risk children towards development of type I diabetes, a pancreatic autoimmune disease. This means that understanding how the virus interacts with pancreatic and immune cells is of particular importance. The parts of the virus particle which bind to the integrins will be identified, and these will be produced and tested for their ability to block rotavirus infection in cells and in mice. It is likely that rotavirus binds to integrins by a somewhat different mechanism to that used by other viruses and cellular components. If this is so, then in future it should be possible to design drugs which block virus infection without interfering with the normal function of integrins. This work will also provide data useful for design of rotavirus vaccines, and for improved understanding of the disease process.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2002

End Date: 01-01-2004

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $339,480.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Applied immunology (incl. antibody engineering xenotransplantation and t-cell therapies)

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

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Other Keywords

integrins | rotavirus disease may extend to the pancreas | rotavirus gastroenteritis | rotavirus infection | rotavirus infection may be a trigger of type 1 diabetes | targets for design of antiviral therapies | vaccine development | viral attachment proteins | virus pathogenesis | virus receptors

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