Muhammad Nauman Zahid^1*, Muhammad Akbar Shahid^2*, Hafiz Muhammad Imran³, Muhammad Oneeb³, Mushtaq Ahmed⁴, Zia Ur Rehman⁵, Nida Arooj⁶ and Tahir Yaqub³ 

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is one of highly contagious pathogens of cloven-footed animals, attaches with host cell surface receptors, including the integrins and heparan sulfate, for entry into the epithelial cells. FMDV is endemic in Pakistan, but limited studies are available on the interaction of local FMDV serotypes with host-entry factors. Here, we used anti-receptor antibodies and studied the interaction of Pakistani serotypes of FMDV serotypes (A, O and Asia-1) with integrins and heparan sulfate. We observed that by blocking integrins αvβ1, αvβ3 and αvβ6 as well as heparan sulfate by specific monoclonal antibodies, FMDV infection of serotype A, O and Asia-1 was prevented. In conclusion, anti-receptor antibodies are critically important to inhibit FMDV infection.

To Cite This Article: Zahid MN, Shahid MA, Imran HM, Oneeb M, Ahmed M, Rehman ZU, Arooj N and Yaqub T, 2020. Integrins and heparan sulfate play crucial role in pathogenesis of foot-and-mouth disease virus. Pak Vet J, 40(3): 403-406. http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2020.016