Dengue Virus Cellular Receptors and Tropism

Viral entry into host cells primordially defines tropism and represents an attractive target to counteract infection either by antiviral agents or by immune mediated mechanisms. Research on Dengue virus entry presents interesting challenges. Whatever the mechanism dengue virus exploits to gain entry into cells, this had to be evolutionarily conserved, so that it is now present in arthropod and human cells. Until now, dengue cellular receptors were not completely unraveled. However, we have clues about the key steps dengue virus is relying on. Initially a group of factors that interact with the virus through carbohydrate interaction assure its adherence and further contact with a protein receptor complex, which is held together thanks to its special interaction with cell membrane lipidic platforms. This interaction may be so intimate that it may trigger not only viral entry through receptor-mediated endocytosis, but also activation of cell signaling pathways that the virus is going to subvert to its advantage.