Chikungunya Virus Entry and Replication

Abstract

Successful infection by enveloped viruses relies on the capacity of these pathogens to release their genome in the cytoplasm. This process involves several successive steps including the recruitment of attachment factors by the viral particle, interaction of viral glycoproteins with specific receptors, and fusion of virus and host membranes. Drugs and inhibitors capable of interrupting the infectious cycle by targeting viral or cellular components involved in the entry process have a considerable interest for the development of antiviral strategies susceptible to block the replication cycle at the earliest time. The development of such molecules is underpinned by the elucidation of the host–virus interplay engaged during these steps and by the characterization of the molecular mechanisms governing viral entry. In this chapter, we focus on the mechanisms used by the chikungunya virus (CHIKV), a medically important mosquito-borne alphavirus propagating in many parts of the world, to penetrate into its target cells. The knowledge accumulated on the nature of receptors and endocytic routes hijacked by this pathogen to infect mammalian and mosquito cells is discussed and we summarize the most recent advances in the development of drugs and antibodies targeting CHIKV replication at the receptor binding, internalization, and fusion steps.