INTESTINAL MUCINS INHIBIT ROTAVIRUS REPLICATION IN AN OLIGOSACCHARIDE-DEPENDENT MANNER

Rotaviruses are important causes of infant morbidity and mortality wor ldwide. It has been previously shown that mucinous glycoproteins can i nhibit rotavirus replication. However, the structure-function relation ships of this inhibition have not been completely elucidated. Mucins w ere purified from epithelial scrapings of rat and human intestine by C sCl density-gradient ultracentrifugation and tested for the inhibition of rotavirus replication in MA-104 cells. Native human and rat intest inal mucins inhibited the replication of human and animal rotaviruses at low concentrations. Antiviral activity was most prominent in the de nsely glycosylated part of the rat and human mucins. Activity was reta ined after thiol reduction and alkylation, chloroform methanol partiti on, and partial removal of oligosaccharides. However, total deglycosyl ation of the mucins destroyed antiviral activity. Intestinal mucins fr om humans and other animals are potent inhibitors of rotavirus replica tion, and this inhibition is dependent on specific mucin-viral interac tions.