Virus–Receptor Interactions: Structural Insights For Oncolytic Virus Development

Nadishka Jayawardena,1 Laura N Burga,1 John T Poirier,2 Mihnea Bostina1,3 1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand; 2Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA; 3Otago Micro and Nano Imaging, University of Otago, Dunedin, New ZealandCorrespondence: Mihnea BostinaDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New ZealandTel +64 22 44 5583 Email mihnea.bostina@otago.ac.nzAbstract: Recent advancements in oncolytic virotherapy commend a special attention to developing new strategies for targeting cancer cells with oncolytic viruses (OVs). Modifications of the viral envelope or coat proteins serve as a logical mean of repurposing viruses for cancer treatment. In this review, we discuss how detailed structural knowledge of the interactions between OVs and their natural receptors provide valuable insights into tumor specificity of some viruses and re-targeting of alternate receptors for broad tumor tropism or improved tumor selectivity.Keywords: oncolytic viruses, virus–receptor interaction, virus entry