Measles viruses on throat swabs from measles patients use signaling lymphocytic activation molecule (CDw150) but not CD46 as a cellular receptor

Abstract

Both CD46 and signaling lymphocytic activation molecule (SLAM) have been shown to act as cellular receptors for measles virus (MV). The viruses on throat swabs from nine patients with measles in Japan were titrated on Vero cells stably expressing human SLAM. Samples from all but two patients produced numerous plaques on SLAM-expressing Vero cells, whereas none produced any plaques on Vero cells endogenously expressing CD46. The Edmonston strain of MV, which can use either CD46 or SLAM as a receptor, produced comparable titers on these two types of cells. The results strongly suggest that the viruses in the bodies of measles patients use SLAM but probably not CD46 as a cellular receptor.

FIG. 1

Characterization of Vero/hSLAM cells. (A) Vero/hSLAM cells were stained with IPO-3 (thick line) or a mouse immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) control antibody (thin line), followed by staining with fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled anti-mouse IgG. The stained cells were analyzed on a FACScan machine (Becton Dickinson). (B) Vero/hSLAM cells were either uninfected or infected with the KA strain of MV and observed under a microscope at 24 h after infection. (C) The diluted stock of the KA strain was titrated on Vero or Vero/hSLAM cells. At 3 days after infection, plates were stained with crystal violet and photographed.