The coxsackie-adenovirus receptor (CAR) is used by reference strains and clinical isolates representing all six serotypes of coxsackievirus group B and by swine vesicular disease virus

Group a coxsackieviruses are etiologically linked to many human diseases, a nd cell surface receptors are postulated to play an important role in media ting their pathogenesis. The coxsackievirus adenovirus receptor (CAR) has b een shown to function as a receptor for selected strains of coxsackievirus group B (CVB) serotypes 3, 4, and 5 and is postulated to serve as a recepto r for all six serotypes. In this study, we demonstrate that CAR can serve a s a receptor for laboratory reference strains and clinical isolates of all six CVB serotypes. infection of CHO cells expressing human CAR results in a 1000-fold increase in CVB progeny virus titer compared to mock transfected cells. CAR was shown to be a functional receptor for swine vesicular disea se virus (SVDV), as CHO-CAR cells but not CHO mock transfected controls wer e susceptible to SVDV infection, produced progeny SVDV, and developed cytop athic effects. Moreover, SVDV infection could be specifically blocked by mo noclonal antibody to CAR (RmcB). SVDV infection of HeLa cells was also inhi bited by an anti-CD55 MAb, suggesting that this virus, like some CVB, may i nteract with CD55 (decay accelerating factor) in addition to CAR. Finally, pretreatment of CVB or SVDV with soluble CAR effectively blocks virus infec tion of HeLa cell monolayers. (C) 2000 Academic Press.