Cellular membrane cholesterol is required for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus entry and release in MARC-145 cells

Sun, Ying; Xiao, ShaoBo; Wang, Dang; Luo, Rui; Li, Bin; Chen, HuanChun; Fang, LiuRong

A significant finding of the present study is that cholesterol depletion facilitated the release process of PRRSV but also resulted in decreased infectivity of released virus particles. This finding is consistent with reports showing that cholesterol depletion caused an enhancement of Influenza A virus particle release from infected cells and a decreased infectivity of virus particles [29] . In addition, the infectivity of Newcastle disease virus could be reduced by cholesterol depletion and possibly due to virus particles released from cholesterol-depleted cells having heterogeneous densities and structural abnormalities [40] . Teissier and Pecheur [38] had demonstrated that the molecular shape of lipids, including cholesterol and sphingolipid, could affect membrane curvature and further influence membrane defor-mation and fluidity. Thus, structural abnormalities of virus particles due to cholesterol depletion and the physical function of cholesterol in the plasma membrane may be responsible for the findings reported herein.