Description
SEC61B is a cellular host factor required for Mumps virus replication in humans and bats
Danielle E. Anderson1, Kristmundur Sigmundsson2, So Young Kim3, Xiao Fang Lim1, Brian Ho Wenkae1, Paul Duprex4, Lin-Fa Wang1
1Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases; 2Programme in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore; 3Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham; 4National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University, Boston, United States
Bats have been implicated as an important source of emerging paramyxoviruses. The identification of bat-borne paramyxoviruses closely related to known human paramyxoviruses suggests a risk of zoonotic transmission of these viruses. Mumps virus (MuV), a contagious virus of the Rubulavirus genus, was thought to be an exclusive human pathogen with no animal reservoir. Recently, the complete sequence of a mumps-like rubulavirus was obtained from an African bat. To ascertain whether bat cells are capable of supporting the replication of MuV, and to identify cellular proteins involved in the viral life cycle, a genome-wide siRNA screen was performed using a novel bat siRNA library. A custom bat siRNA library was designed to target 18,328 genes of the Pteropus alecto genome. The bat siRNA screen was performed in PaKi cells, a P alecto kidney cell line. SEC61B, an endoplasmic reticulum membrane transporter, was identified as a potential pro-viral protein. This study is the first to use a bat genome-wide siRNA screen and provides a novel overview of cellular proteins and pathways that impact this important pathogen.