Evolutionary and structural basis of SLAMF1 utilization in morbilliviruses – Implications for host range and cross-species transmission

Ayumu Hyodo, Fumio Seki, Kento Fukuda, Kaede Tashiro, Yuki Kitai, Yukiko Akahori, Hideko Watabe, Hiroshi Katoh, Rikuto Osaki, Daisuke Takaya, Norihito Kawashita, Hideo Fukuhara, Satoshi Ikegame, Tomoki Yoshikawa, Park Eunsil, Shigeru Morikawa, Ryoji Yamaguchi, Benhur Lee, Katsumi Maenaka, Tsuyoshi Shirai, Kaori Fukuzawa, Shigenori Tanaka, Makoto Takeda

This study sheds light on the molecular mechanisms by which morbilliviruses, including measles virus (MV), can infect a variety of animal species. Focusing on the SLAM (CD150) receptor, which these viruses use to enter immune cells, the authors analyzed SLAM proteins from diverse animal species. They found that while most morbilliviruses can utilize SLAM from multiple species, only measles virus efficiently uses human SLAM.

Furthermore, by reconstructing and analyzing ancestral SLAMs, the study demonstrated that these hypothetical ancestral receptors can function as universal receptors for all morbilliviruses. These findings highlight the importance of evolutionarily conserved structural features in SLAM, which provide a molecular foundation for the potential of morbilliviruses to adapt to a broad range of hosts.