Cellular Host Receptors of Arboviruses Causing Hemorrhagic Fever: scientific Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63939/w24zc577Keywords:
Arboviruses, hemorrhagic fever, Host Receptors, Arthropod-borne viruses, Arboviruses ligand-receptors.Abstract
Arboviruses that cause hemorrhagic fever are a wide range of RNA viruses that are mostly spread by insects and other arthropods. How well they interact with certain cellular receptors determines how well they can infect human host cells. Recent research has identified several novel cellular host receptors utilized by different arboviruses to penetrate target cells, a process essential for viral replication and subsequent pathogenesis. The human transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) is very important for New World clade B arenaviruses, which cause hemorrhagic fevers, to get in. Pathogenic arenaviruses, including Machupo and Junin viruses, exploit human TfR1, whereas closely related nonpathogenic viruses utilize TfR1 orthologs from their natural reservoir hosts. Changes in TfR1 can make it easier or harder for someone to get sick. This means that zoonotic diseases could happen if the host receptor changes.
Viral glycoproteins Gn and Gc help the virus attach to host cells. Clathrin helps CCHFV get into cells. Cholesterol and pH levels can affect this process. Nucleolin on the surface of host cells and DC-SIGN lectin on dendritic cells may also be involved. These interactions facilitate the infection of macrophages, dendritic cells, and epithelial cells, which are crucial for viral dissemination and immune evasion. Several types of receptors have been linked to other arboviruses, such as dengue virus (DENV), West Nile virus (WNV), and others that cause symptoms of hemorrhagic disease. These include Fc gamma receptors (FcγRs), which help antibody-dependent enhancement, different types of lectins like C-type lectins (DC-SIGN), integrins (αvβ3 integrin), laminin receptors, and glycosaminoglycans like heparan sulfate. These receptors often enable viral adherence and invasion of immune or endothelial cells, thereby affecting viral tropism and hemorrhagic pathogenesis.
The redundancy and diversity of receptor molecules employed by arboviruses highlight the complexity of virus-host cell interactions and suggest evolutionary adaptations that facilitate spillover and the emergence of diseases. Understanding these new cellular receptors is important for coming up with antiviral strategies that can stop viruses from getting into cells. However, targeting these receptors is risky because of their normal functions.
New cellular host receptors for arboviruses that cause hemorrhagic fever include human transferrin receptor 1 for New World arenaviruses, clathrin-mediated entry receptors possibly involving nucleolin and DC-SIGN for Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, and various Fc receptors, lectins, integrins, laminin receptors, and glycosaminoglycans for flaviviruses and other arboviruses. These findings improve the molecular understanding of hemorrhagic fever virus entry and pathogenesis, presenting both opportunities and challenges for therapeutic intervention.
Downloads
References
1. WHO Fact Sheet: Vector-Borne Diseases. Available online: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/vector-borne-diseases (accessed on 14 August 2022).
2. Kading, R.C.; Brault, A.C.; Beckham, J.D. Global Perspectives on Arbovirus Outbreaks: A 2020 Snapshot. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2020, 5, 142.
3. Young, P.R. Arboviruses: A Family on the Move. In Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology; Springer: New York, NY, USA, 2018; Volume 1062, pp. 1–10.
4. Young, K.I.; Medwid, J.T.; Azar, S.R.; Hu, R.M.; Drumm, H.; Co, L.L.; Pitts, R.J.; Buenemann, M.; Vasilakis, N.; Perera, D.; et al. Identification of Mosquito Bloodmeals Collected in Diverse Habitats in Malaysian Borneo Using COI Barcoding. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2020, 5, 51.
5. Abraham J, Kwong JA, Albariño CG, Lu JG, Radoshitzky SR, Salazar-Bravo J, et al. Host-Species Transferrin Receptor 1 Orthologs Are Cellular Receptors for Nonpathogenic New World Clade B Arenaviruses. PLoS Pathog. 2009;5(4): e1000358.
6. Rey F, Stiasny K. Biological Transmission of Arboviruses: Reexamination of and New Insights into the Role of Integrin and Laminin Receptors in Viral Entry. Microbes Infect. 2003 Aug;5(10):865-872.
7. Spengler JR, Bergeron É, Rollin PE. Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever: Tick-Host-Virus Interactions. Viruses. 2017 May 25;9(5): pii: E106.
8. Kaufman SK, Walker C, Niyogi SC. Biological Transmission of Arboviruses: Reexamination of and New Insights into Components, Mechanisms, and Unique Traits as Well as Their Evolutionary Trends. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2005;18(4):608-637.
9. Chotiwan N, Tran TT, Phasouk K, et al. Intracellular Interactions Between Arboviruses and Wolbachia in Aedes aegypti. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2021; 11:690087. Published 2021 Jun 22.
10. Huang YJS, Higgs S, Vanlandingham DL. Arbovirus-Mosquito Vector-Host Interactions and the Impact on Transmission and Disease Pathogenesis of Arboviruses. Front Microbiol. 2019; 10:22.
11. Zhang R, Kim AS, Fox JM, Nair S, Basore K, Klimstra WB, et al. Mxra8 is a receptor for multiple arthritogenic alphaviruses. Nature. 2018;557(7706):570-4.
12. Meertens L, Carnec X, Ramdasi R, Guivel-Benhassine F, Lew E, Lemke G, et al. The TIM and TAM families of phosphatidylserine receptors mediate dengue virus entry. Cell Host Microbe. 2012;12(4):544-57.
13. Lu P, Li J, Zhao J, Yan Q, Yang G, Guo X, et al. The dystroglycan receptor is essential for maintaining high Wolbachia density in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and for arbovirus transmission blockade. PNAS. 2020;117(43):26843-52.
14. Liu J, et al. Insights into mosquito-borne arbovirus receptors. Trends Microbiol. 2024.
15. Zimmerman O, et al. Entry receptors — the gateway to alphavirus infection. J Clin Invest. 2023;133(2): e165307.
16. Reyes JIL, et al. Intracellular Interactions Between Arboviruses and... Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2021.
17. Song H, Zhao Z, Chai Y, Jin X, Li C, Yuan F, Liu S, Gao Z, Wang H, Song J, Vazquez L, Zhang Y, Tan S, Morel CM, Yan J, Shi Y, Qi J, Gao F, Gao GF. Molecular basis of arthritogenic alphavirus receptor MXRA8 binding to chikungunya virus envelope protein. Cell. 2019;177(7):1714–1724.e12.
18. Artpradit C, et al. Recognition of heparan sulfate by clinical strains of dengue virus. 2013. Available via PubMed Central.
19. Meertens L, Carnec X, Lecoin MP, Ramdasi R, Guivel-Benhassine F, Lew E, Lemke G, Schwartz O, Amara A. The TIM and TAM families of phosphatidylserine receptors mediate dengue virus entry. Cell Host Microbe. 2012;12(4):544–557.
20. Basore K, et al. Cryo-EM structure of chikungunya virus in complex with the Mxra8 receptor. Cell. 2019
21. Dejarnac O, et al. TIM-1 ubiquitination mediates dengue virus entry. Cell Rep. 2018;23(6):1779–1793.
22. Tassaneetrithep B, Burgess TH, Granelli-Piperno A, Trumpfheller C, Finke J, Sun W, Eller MA, Pattanapanyasat K, Sarasombath S, Birx DL, Steinman RM, Schlesinger S, Marovich MA. DC-SIGN (CD209) mediates dengue virus infection of human dendritic cells. J Exp Med. 2003;197(7):823–829.
23. Cruz-Oliveira C, et al. Receptors and routes of dengue virus entry into the host cells. FEMS Microbiol Rev. 2015;39(2):155–170.
24. Swevers L, et al. Mechanisms of cell entry by viruses: attachment factors, receptors and endocytosis. Rev Virol Cell Biol. 2021.
25. Anwar MN, et al. Review: interactions of flaviviruses with cellular receptors. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2022.
26. Zhang R, Kim AS, Fox JM, Nair S, Basore K, Klimstra WB, et al. MXRA8 is a receptor for multiple arthritogenic alphaviruses. Nature. 2018;557(7706):570–4.
27. Song H, Perlman DH, et al. Molecular basis of arthritogenic alphavirus receptor binding (crystal and cryo-EM analyses). Cell. 2019.
28. Basore K, et al. Cryo-EM structure of Chikungunya virus in complex with receptor MXRA8. PLoS / PMC article (structure and interface analysis). 2019.
29. Perera-Lecoin M, Meertens L, Carnec X, Amara A. Flavivirus entry receptors: an update. Viruses. 2013;5(9):3419–44.
30. Laureti M, Morelli M, et al. Flavivirus receptors: diversity, identity and cell entry. Front Immunol. 2018.
31. Gorshkov K, et al. Zika virus: origins, pathological action and treatment—review. Front Microbiol. 2019. (discussion of AXL controversy).
32. Ribeiro-Filho HV, et al. Cryo-EM structure of Mayaro virus and implications for MXRA8 binding and receptor recognition. Nat Commun. 2021.
33. Liu J, et al. Insights into mosquito-borne arbovirus receptors: approaches and recent receptor discoveries. Wuhan Univ Press / Review (2024).
34. Zimmerman O, et al. Vertebrate-class-specific binding modes of the alphavirus receptor family (recent structural/evolutionary analysis). Cell. 2023.
35. Liu J, et al. Insights into mosquito-borne arbovirus receptors. Trends Microbiol. 2024.
36. Basore K, et al. Cryo-EM structure of Chikungunya virus in complex with the MXRA8 receptor. Nat Microbiol (or J Virol/PMC). 2019.
37. Anwar MN, et al. The interactions of flaviviruses with cellular receptors. Virology. 2022.
38. Xie S, et al. AXL, an important host factor for DENV and ZIKV: roles in entry. Front Microbiol. 2021; (review). Song H, et al. Molecular basis of arthritogenic alphavirus receptor recognition (MXRA8 structures). Cell. 2019.
39. Ribeiro-Filho HV, et al. Cryo-EM structure of Mayaro virus (glycan impacts). Nat Commun. 2021. Nature
40. Kim AS, et al. An evolutionary insertion in the MXRA8 receptor affects alphavirus binding. PLoS Pathog. 2020.
41. Feng F, et al. Colocalization of Chikungunya virus with its receptor MXRA8 — implications for tropism. J Virol. 2023. journals.asm.org
42. Raju S, et al. Structural basis for plasticity in receptor engagement by an alphavirus RBP. Cell. 2025.
43. Eder J, et al. Transmission of Zika by dendritic cell subsets: DC-SIGN and dissemination. Front Immunol. 2023. Basore K / Song H structural works and follow-ups. 12- Reviews and methodological studies summarized in Liu J and Frontiers 2024/2025 reviews.
44. Dufloo J, et al. Receptor-binding proteins from animal viruses and host range predictions. Nat Microbiol. 2025.
45. Sarukhanyan E, et al. In silico designed AXL receptor blocking drug candidates. ACS Omega. 2018.
46. Zimmerman O, et al. Vertebrate-class-specific binding modes of the alphavirus receptor family (recent structural/evolutionary analysis). Cell. 2023. (Discusses species differences in MXRA8 usage.) Lee JK, et al. Advances in Zika Virus–Host Cell Interaction. Viruses. 2019;11(5): E567.
47. Panda K, et al. Oligonucleotide-Based Approaches to Inhibit Dengue Virus. Molecules. 2021;26(4):956.
48. Dejarnac O, et al. TIM-1 ubiquitination mediates dengue virus entry. Cell Reports. 2018
49. Zimmerman O, et al. Entry receptors — the gateway to alphavirus infection. J Clin Invest. 2023;133(12): e165307.
50. Camacho-Concha N, et al. Insights into Zika Virus Pathogenesis and Potential Therapeutic Targets. J Pers Med. 2023;11(12):3316.
51. Mislan NAL, et al. Aptamer as a therapeutic agent for dengue infections. [PMC article] 2025.
52. Camacho-Concha N, et al. Insights into Zika Virus Pathogenesis and Potential Therapeutic Targets. J Pers Med. 2023;11(12):3316.
53. Li P, et al. LRP8 is an entry receptor for tick-borne encephalitis viruses. PNAS. 2025
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
