Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 Sep;24(5):308-15.
doi: 10.1002/rmv.1792. Epub 2014 Apr 16.

Coronavirus entry and release in polarized epithelial cells: a review

Yingying Cong  1 , Xiaofeng Ren
Affiliations
Review

Coronavirus entry and release in polarized epithelial cells: a review

Yingying Cong et al. Rev Med Virol. 2014 Sep.

Abstract

Most coronaviruses cause respiratory or intestinal infections in their animal or human host. Hence, their interaction with polarized epithelial cells plays a critical role in the onset and outcome of infection. In this paper, we review the knowledge regarding the entry and release of coronaviruses, with particular emphasis on the severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronaviruses. As these viruses approach the epithelial surfaces from the apical side, it is not surprising that coronavirus cell receptors are exposed primarily on the apical domain of polarized epithelial cells. With respect to release, all possibilities appear to occur. Thus, most coronaviruses exit through the apical surface, several through the basolateral one, although the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus appears to use both sides. These observations help us understand the local or systematic spread of the infection within its host as well as the spread of the virus within the host population.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no competing interest

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Two patterns for coronavirus entry and release from polarized epithelial cells. (A) Entry and release through the apical membrane facilitates lateral spread. (B) Entry at the apical membrane and release through the basolateral membrane facilitates vertical transmission
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Masters PS. The molecular biology of coronaviruses. Advances in Virus Research 2006; 66: 193–292. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Enjuanes L, Gorbalenya AE, de Groot RJ, et al Nidovirales In Encyclopedia of Virology, 3rd edn, Mahy BWJ, Van Regenmortel MHV. (eds). Elsevier: Oxford, 2008; 419–430.
    1. Adams MJ, Carstens EB. Ratification vote on taxonomic proposals to the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. Archives of Virology 2012; 157(7): 1411–1422. - PMC - PubMed
    1. de Groot RJ, Baker SC, Baric R, et al Coronaviridae In Virus Taxonomy: Ninth Report of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, King AMQ, Adams MJ, Carstens EB, Lefkowitz EJ. (eds). Elsevier Academic Press: San Diego, 2011; 774–796.
    1. Bost AG, Carnahan RH, Lu XT, Denison MR. Four proteins processed from the replicase gene polyprotein of mouse hepatitis virus colocalize in the cell periphery and adjacent to sites of virion assembly. Journal of Virology 2000; 74(7): 3379–3387. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types