DC-SIGN and L-SIGN can act as attachment receptors for alphaviruses and distinguish between mosquito cell- and mammalian cell-derived viruses

C-type lectins such as DC-SIGN and L-SIGN, which bind mannose-enriched carbohydrate modifications of host and pathogen proteins, have been shown to bind glycoproteins of several viruses and facilitate either cis or trans infection. DC-SIGN and L-SIGN are expressed in several early targets of arbovirus infection, including dendritic cells (DCs) and cells of the reticuloendothelial system. In the present study, we show that DC-SIGN and L-SIGN can function as attachment receptors for Sindbis (SB) virus, an arbovirus of the Alphavirus genus. Human monocytic THP-1 cells stably transfected with DC-SIGN or L-SIGN were permissive for SB virus replication, while untransfected controls were essentially nonpermissive. The majority of control THP-1 cells were permissive when attachment and entry steps were eliminated through electroporation of virus transcripts. Infectivity for the DC-SIGN/L-SIGN-expressing cells was largely blocked by yeast mannan, EDTA, or a DC-SIGN/L-SIGN-specific monoclonal antibody. Infection of primary human DCs by SB virus was also dependent upon SIGN expression by similar criteria. Furthermore, production of virus particles in either C6/36 mosquito cells or CHO mammalian cells under conditions that limited complex carbohydrate content greatly increased SB virus binding to and infection of THP-1 cells expressing these lectins. C6/36-derived virus also was much more infectious for primary human DCs than CHO-derived virus. These results suggest that (i) lectin molecules such as DC-SIGN and L-SIGN may represent common attachment receptor molecules for arthropod-borne viruses, (ii) arbovirus particles produced in and delivered by arthropod vectors may preferentially target vertebrate host cells bearing these or similar lectin molecules, and (iii) a cell line has been identified that can productively replicate alphaviruses but is deficient in attachment receptors.