Further Characterization of Aminopeptidase-N as a Receptor for Coronaviruses

Abstract

We recently reported that porcine aminopeptidase-N (pAPN) acts as a receptor for transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV). In the present work, we addressed the question of whether TGEV tropism is determined only by the virus-receptor interaction. To this end, different non-permissive cell lines were transfected with the porcine APN eDNA and tested for their susceptibility to TGEV infection. The four transfected cell lines shown to express pAPN at their membrane became sensitive to infection. Two of these ce…