NCBISkiptomaincontentSkiptonavigationResourcesHowToAboutNCBIAccesskeysMyNCBISignintoNCBISignOutJournalListElsevierPublicHealthEmergencyCollectionPMC6083867JMolBiol.2018Aug17;430(17):2590–2611.Publishedonline2018Jun18.doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2018.06.024PMCID:PMC6083867NIHMSID:NIHMS976031PMID:29924965Virus–ReceptorInteractions:TheKeytoCellularInvasionMelissaS.Maginnis⁎AuthorinformationArticlenotesCopyrightandLicenseinformationDisclaimerDepartmentofMolecularandBiomedicalSciences,TheUniversityofMaine,Orono,ME04469-5735,USA⁎DepartmentofMolecularandBiomedicalSciences,UniversityofMaine,5735HitchnerHallRoom326,Orono,ME04469-5735,USA.Received2018Mar25;Revised2018Jun4;Accepted2018Jun8.Copyright©2018ElsevierLtd.Allrightsreserved.SinceJanuary2020ElsevierhascreatedaCOVID-19resourcecentrewithfreeinformationinEnglishandMandarinonthenovelcoronavirusCOVID-19.TheCOVID-19resourcecentreishostedonElsevierConnect,thecompany'spublicnewsandinformationwebsite.ElsevierherebygrantspermissiontomakeallitsCOVID-19-relatedresearchthatisavailableontheCOVID-19resourcecentre-includingthisresearchcontent-immediatelyavailableinPubMedCentralandotherpubliclyfundedrepositories,suchastheWHOCOVIDdatabasewithrightsforunrestrictedresearchre-useandanalysesinanyformorbyanymeanswithacknowledgementoftheoriginalsource.ThesepermissionsaregrantedforfreebyElsevierforaslongastheCOVID-19resourcecentreremainsactive.ThisarticlehasbeencitedbyotherarticlesinPMC.Virus–receptorinteractionsplayakeyregulatoryroleinviralhostrange,tissuetropism,andviralpathogenesis.Virusesutilizeelegantstrategiestoattachtooneormultiplereceptors,overcometheplasmamembranebarrier,enter,andaccessthenecessaryhostcellmachinery.Theviralattachmentproteincanbeviewedasthe“key”thatunlockshostcellsbyinteractingwiththe“lock”—thereceptor—onthecellsurface,andtheselock-and-keyinteractionsarecriticalforvirusestosuccessfullyinvadehostcells.Manycommonthemeshaveemergedinvirus–receptorutilizationwithinandacrossvirusfamiliesdemonstratingthatvirusesoftentargetparticularcl