The mammary glands of cows abundantly display receptors for circulating avian H5 viruses

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Abstract

Influenza A viruses (IAVs) from the H5N1 2.3.4.4b clade are circulating in dairy farms in the USA.; ruminants were presumed not to be hosts for IAVs. Previously, IAV-positive mammalian species were hunters and scavengers, possibly getting infected while feeding on infected birds. It is now recognized that H5N1 viruses that circulate in US dairy cattle transmit through a mammary gland route, in contrast to transmission by aerosols via the respiratory tract. The sialome in the cow mammary and respiratory tract is so far solely defined using plant lectins. Here, we used recombinant HA proteins representing current circulating and classical H5 viruses to determine the distribution of IAV receptors in the respiratory and mammary tract tissues of cows. We complemented our study by mapping the glycan distribution of the upper and lower respiratory tracts of horses and pigs. Most of the sialome of the cow respiratory tract is lined with sialic acid modifications, such as N-glycolyl and O-acetyl, which are not bound by IAV. Interestingly, the H5 protein representing the cow isolates is bound significantly in the mammary gland, whereas classical H5 proteins failed to do so. Furthermore, whereas the 9-O-acetyl modification is prominent in all tissues tested, the 5-N-glycolyl modification is not, resulting in the display of receptors for avian IAV hemagglutinins. This could explain the high levels of virus found in these tissues and milk, adding supporting data to this virus transmission route.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere0105224
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Virology
Volume98
Issue number11
Early online date10 Oct 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2024 Ríos Carrasco et al.

Funding

M.R.C is supported by an NWO-M2 (OCENW.M20.106). This research was made possible by funding from ICRAD, an ERA-NET co-funded under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en), under Grant Agreement no. 862605 (Flu-Switch) and a Mizutani Foundation for Glycoscience Research Grant 2023 to R.P.d.V.

FundersFunder number
ICRADOCENW.M20.106
European Union862605
Mizutani Foundation2023

    Keywords

    • H5N1
    • avian influenza
    • clade 2.3.4.4b
    • dairy cattle
    • mammary gland

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