Interaction of Viruses with Cell Surface Receptors

This chapter discusses the interaction of viruses with cell surface receptors. The rigorous characterizations of receptor–ligand interactions have been derived from binding studies of radiolabeled ligands in neuropharmacology and endocrinology. The definition of viral recognition sites as receptors involves three major criteria that are derived from models of ligand–receptor interactions: saturability, specificity, and competition. A variety of approaches have been used to study the interaction of viral particles with cell surface receptors or reception sites. A rigorous study of viral–receptor interactions requires the use of more than one technique as different approaches provide complementary information about viral binding. The chapter discusses membrane components that interact with viruses. The identification of the subviral components that are responsible for the binding of viruses to cell surfaces has preceded the structural understanding of the cellular receptors themselves. The chapter summarizes current data concerning the viral attachment protein (VAP) of selected viruses.