JC virus enters human glial cells by clathrin-dependent receptor-mediated endocytosis.

The human polyomavirus JC virus (JCV) is the etiologic agent of a fatal central nervous system (CNS) demyelinating disease known as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). PML occurs predominantly in immunosuppressed patients and has increased dramatically as a result of the AIDS pandemic. The major target cell of JCV infection and lytic replication in the CNS is the oligodendrocyte. The mechanisms by which JCV initiates and establishes infection of these glial cells are not understood. The initial interaction between JCV and glial cells involves virus binding to N-linked glycoproteins containing terminal alpha(2-6)-linked sialic acids. The subsequent steps of entry and targeting of the viral genome to the nucleus have not been described. In this report, we compare the kinetics and mechanisms of infectious entry of JCV into human glial cells with that of the related polyomavirus, simian virus 40 (SV40). We demonstrate that JCV, unlike SV40, enters glial cells by receptor-mediated clathrin-dependent endocytosis.