Respiratory syncytial virus disrupts the airway epithelial barrier by decreasing cortactin and destabilizing F-actin.

ABSTRACT: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is the leading cause of acute lower respiratory tract infection in young children worldwide. Our group recently revealed that RSV infection disrupts the airway epithelial barrier in vitro and in vivo. However, the underlying molecular pathways were still elusive. Here, we report the critical roles of the filamentous actin (F-actin) network and actin-binding protein cortactin in RSV infection. We found that RSV infection causes F-actin depolymerization in 16HBE cells, and that stabilizing the F-actin network in infected cells reverses the epithelial barrier disruption. RSV infection also leads to significantly decreased cortactin in vitro and in vivo. Cortactin-knockout 16HBE cells presented barrier dysfunction, whereas overexpression of cortactin

SUBMITTER: Gao N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9481929 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature