HoBi-like Pestivirus (HoBiPeV), An Emerging Bovine Pestivirus Does Not Use Non-classical Endocytic Mechanisms for Entry into Ovine Cells

Bovine pestiviruses, bovine viral diarrhea virus 1 (BVDV-1) and BVDV-2 enter the bovine and ovine cells exclusively through clathrin-mediated endocytosis and not through non-classical endocytosis. However, no report is available regarding the mechanisms of entry of the emerging bovine pestivirus, HoBi-like pestivirus (HoBiPeV) that causes disease in cattle, buffaloes, sheep and goats. This study was aimed to unravel the possibility of HoBiPeV in utilizing the alternate endocytic mechanisms in establishing infection in ovine cells by inhibiting the caveolae-mediated endocytosis by a cholesterol sequestering drug, nystatin and macropinocytosis by an actin disrupting drug, cytochalasin-D. The reduction in infectivity of the HoBiPeV was found to be least (7.55% and 1.45% in nystatin and cytochalasin-D treated cells respectively) even at the highest concentration of the drugs (10 ìg/mL and 0.5 ìg/mL of nystatin and cytochalasin respectively) used for the pre-treatment of ovine cells before infection. The results of this study demonstrate that the HoBiPeV does not use the alternate endocytic pathways for entry into ovine cells similar to BVDV-1 and BVDV-2. Further studies may unravel the cellular receptors involved and main entry mechanisms of HoBiPeV in the future.