Many Keys Unlock the Doors for Virus Entry

To successfully infect, viruses must respond to cues that promote their genome delivery into host cells. These keys to virus entry frequently reside inside endocytic vesicles. In a recent mBio article, Poston et al. (D. Poston, Y. Weisblum, A. Hobbs, and P. D. Bieniasz, mBio 13:e0300221, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.03002-21) identified and characterized protein complexes generating endocytic environments favorable for virus entry. These included retromer-associated vacuolar protein sorting 29 (VPS29) proteins. Without VPS29, endosomes lacked cathepsin activities, making them incapable of supporting those viruses in which endosomal proteolysis triggers entry. These protease-dependent viruses encompass several zoonotic filoviruses and coronaviruses, including recent SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. The valuable findings of Poston et al. reveal retromer complexes as master keys for select endosomal virus entry processes and raise the possibility that threatening coronaviruses might be resisted through targeted inactivation of components controlling endosome structure and function.