RABV G

Rabies virus is a neurotropic virus that causes rabies in humans and animals. Rabies transmission can occur through the saliva of animals and less commonly through contact with human saliva. Rabies virus, like many rhabdoviruses, has an extremely wide host range. In the wild it has been found infecting many mammalian species, while in the laboratory it has been found that birds can be infected, as well as cell cultures from mammals, birds, reptiles and insects. Glycoprotein G attaches the virus to host cellular receptor, inducing endocytosis of the virion. In the endosome, the acidic pH induces conformational changes in the glycoprotein trimer, which trigger fusion between virus and cell membrane. There is convincing in vitro evidence that the muscular form of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR), the neuronal cell adhesion molecule (NCAM), and the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) bind glycoprotein and thereby facilitate rabies virus entry into cells.