Graduate School of Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo
The Department of Microbiology
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Graduate School of Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo
The Department of Microbiology

Research

  • Research
  • Studies on the host range of morbilliviruses.

Studies on the host range of morbilliviruses.

Measles virus is a morbillivirus that infects humans. Other viruses within the genus Morbillivirus include rinderpest virus, which infects cattle; peste des petits ruminants virus, which infects goats and sheep; cetacean morbillivirus, which infects dolphins and whales; canine distemper virus, which infects dogs; and phocine distemper virus, which infects seals. In recent years, morbilliviruses have also been identified in bats, pigs, and cats. These viruses infect and cause disease in their respective hosts by utilizing receptors such as the SLAM molecule expressed on immune cells and the nectin-4 molecule expressed on epithelial cells. Our research focuses on how the host range of these morbilliviruses is determined, particularly in relation to their interaction with receptors.


Main Related Publications

  1. Hyodo A, Seki F, Fukuda K, Tashiro K, Kitai Y, Akahori Y, Watabe H, Katoh H, Osaki R,  Takaya D, Kawashita N, Fukuhara H, Ikegame S, Yoshikawa T, Eunsil P, Morikawa S, Yamaguchi R, Lee B, Maenaka K, Shirai T, Fukuzawa K, Tanaka S, Takeda M. Evolutionary and structural basis of SLAMF1 utilization in morbilliviruses – Implications for host range and cross-species transmission. PLOS Pathogens. 2025. Accepted.
  2. Tashiro K, Segawa T, Konishi K, Seki F, Katoh H, Ishibashi T, Takeda M, Itou T. Serological Evidence of Cetacean Morbillivirus Infection in Common Bottlenose Dolphins in Japan. Microbiol Immunol. 2025 May;69(5):307-312. doi: 10.1111/1348-0421.13207. Epub 2025 Feb 13. PMID: 39949182; PMCID: PMC12050910.
  3. Fukuhara H, Yumoto K, Sako M, Kajikawa M, Ose T, Kawamura M, Yoda M, Chen S, Ito Y, Takeda S, Mwaba M, Wang J, Hashiguchi T, Kamishikiryo J, Maita N, Kitatsuji C, Takeda M, Kuroki K, Maenaka K. Glycan-shielded homodimer structure and dynamical features of the canine distemper virus hemagglutinin relevant for viral entry and efficient vaccination. Elife. 2024 Jul 24;12:RP88929. doi: 10.7554/eLife.88929. PMID: 39046448; PMCID: PMC11268888.
  4. Seki F, Takeda M. Novel and classical morbilliviruses: Current knowledge of three divergent morbillivirus groups. Microbiol Immunol. 2022 Dec;66(12):552-563. doi: 10.1111/1348-0421.13030. Epub 2022 Oct 13. PMID: 36151905.
  5. Yamamoto Y, Nakano S, Seki F, Shigeta Y, Ito S, Tokiwa H, Takeda M. Computational Analysis Reveals a Critical Point Mutation in the N-Terminal Region of the Signaling Lymphocytic Activation Molecule Responsible for the Cross-Species Infection with Canine Distemper Virus. Molecules. 2021 Feb 26;26(5):1262. doi: 10.3390/molecules26051262. PMID: 33652764; PMCID: PMC7956568.
  6. Seki F, Ohishi K, Maruyama T, Takeda M. Phocine distemper virus uses phocine and other animal SLAMs as a receptor but not human SLAM. Microbiol Immunol. 2020 Aug;64(8):578-583. doi: 10.1111/1348-0421.12788. Epub 2020 Jul 25. PMID: 32215955.
  7. Seki F, Yamamoto Y, Fukuhara H, Ohishi K, Maruyama T, Maenaka K, Tokiwa H, Takeda M. Measles Virus Hemagglutinin Protein Establishes a Specific Interaction With the Extreme N-Terminal Region of Human Signaling Lymphocytic Activation Molecule to Enhance Infection. Front Microbiol. 2020 Aug 14;11:1830. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01830. PMID: 32922371; PMCID: PMC7457132.
  8. Takeda M, Seki F, Yamamoto Y, Nao N, Tokiwa H. Animal morbilliviruses and their cross-species transmission potential. Curr Opin Virol. 2020 Apr;41:38-45. doi: 10.1016/j.coviro.2020.03.005. Epub 2020 Apr 25. PMID: 32344228.
  9. Fukuhara H, Ito Y, Sako M, Kajikawa M, Yoshida K, Seki F, Mwaba MH, Hashiguchi T, Higashibata MA, Ose T, Kuroki K, Takeda M, Maenaka K. Specificity of Morbillivirus Hemagglutinins to Recognize SLAM of Different Species. Viruses. 2019 Aug 19;11(8):761. doi: 10.3390/v11080761. PMID: 31430904; PMCID: PMC6722581.
  10. Ohishi K, Maruyama T, Seki F, Takeda M. Marine Morbilliviruses: Diversity and Interaction with Signaling Lymphocyte Activation Molecules. Viruses. 2019 Jul 3;11(7):606. doi: 10.3390/v11070606. PMID: 31277275; PMCID: PMC6669707.
  11. Sakai K, Yoshikawa T, Seki F, Fukushi S, Tahara M, Nagata N, Ami Y, Mizutani T, Kurane I, Yamaguchi R, Hasegawa H, Saijo M, Komase K, Morikawa S, Takeda M. Canine distemper virus associated with a lethal outbreak in monkeys can readily adapt to use human receptors. J Virol. 2013 Jun;87(12):7170-5. doi: 10.1128/JVI.03479-12. Epub 2013 Apr 17. PMID: 23596291; PMCID: PMC3676118.
  12. Sakai K, Nagata N, Ami Y, Seki F, Suzaki Y, Iwata-Yoshikawa N, Suzuki T, Fukushi S, Mizutani T, Yoshikawa T, Otsuki N, Kurane I, Komase K, Yamaguchi R, Hasegawa H, Saijo M, Takeda M, Morikawa S. Lethal canine distemper virus outbreak in cynomolgus monkeys in Japan in 2008. J Virol. 2013 Jan;87(2):1105-14. doi: 10.1128/JVI.02419-12. Epub 2012 Nov 7. PMID: 23135729; PMCID: PMC3554058.
  13. Otsuki N, Sekizuka T, Seki F, Sakai K, Kubota T, Nakatsu Y, Chen S, Fukuhara H, Maenaka K, Yamaguchi R, Kuroda M, Takeda M. Canine distemper virus with the intact C protein has the potential to replicate in human epithelial cells by using human nectin4 as a receptor. Virology. 2013 Jan 20;435(2):485-92. doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2012.10.033. Epub 2012 Nov 19. PMID: 23174504.
  14. Otsuki N, Nakatsu Y, Kubota T, Sekizuka T, Seki F, Sakai K, Kuroda M, Yamaguchi R, Takeda M. The V protein of canine distemper virus is required for virus replication in human epithelial cells. PLoS One. 2013 Dec 17;8(12):e82343. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0082343. PMID: 24358174; PMCID: PMC3866114.