Transferrin Receptor Protein 1 Is an Entry Factor for Rabies Virus
Xinxin Wang, Zhiyuan Wen, Huizhen Cao, Jie Luo, Lei Shuai, Chong Wang, Jinying Ge, Xijun Wang, Zhigao Bu, Jinliang Wang
Abstract
For most viruses, cell entry involves engagement with many distinct plasma membrane components, each of which is essential. After binding to its specific receptor(s), rabies virus (RABV) enters host cells through the process of clathrin-mediated endocytosis. However, whether the receptor-dependent clathrin-mediated endocytosis of RABV requires other plasma membrane components remain largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) is a functional entry factor for RABV infection. The endocytosis of RABV is coupled with the endocytosis of TfR1. Our results indicate that RABV hijacks the transport pathway of TfR1 for entry, which deepens our understanding of the entry mechanism of RABV.