Lymphocytic choriomeningitis arenavirus utilises intercellular connections for cell to cell spread.

The Arenaviridae family of segmented RNA viruses contains nearly 70 species with several associated with fatal haemorrhagic fevers, including Lassa, Lujo and Junin viruses. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis arenavirus (LCMV) is associated with fatal neurologic disease in humans and additionally represents a tractable model for studying arenavirus biology. Within cultured cells, a high proportion of LCMV spread is between directly neighbouring cells, suggesting infectivity may pass through intercellular connections, bypassing the canonical extracellular route involving egress from the plasma membrane.

Cellular endosomal potassium ion flux regulates arenavirus uncoating during virus entry.

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) is an enveloped and segmented negative-sense RNA virus classified within the family of the order. LCMV is associated with fatal disease in immunocompromised populations and, as the prototypical arenavirus member, acts as a model for the many highly pathogenic members of the family, such as Junín, Lassa, and Lujo viruses, all of which are associated with devastating hemorrhagic fevers. To enter cells, the LCMV envelope fuses with late endosomal membranes, for which two established requirements are low pH and interaction between the LCMV glycoprotein (GP) spike and secondary receptor CD164.

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis arenavirus requires cellular COPI and AP-4 complexes for efficient virion production.

Unlabelled: Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) is a bisegmented negative-sense RNA virus classified within the family of the order. LCMV is associated with fatal disease in immunocompromized populations, and as the prototypical arenavirus, acts as a model for the many serious human pathogens within this group. Here, we examined the dependence of LCMV multiplication on cellular trafficking components using a recombinant LCMV expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein in conjunction with a curated siRNA library.