Broich, L., Wullenkord, H., Osman, M.K. et al. Single influenza A viruses induce nanoscale cellular reprogramming at the virus-cell interface. Nat Commun 16, 3846 (2025)
During infection, individual virions trigger specific cellular signaling at the virus-cell interface, a nanoscale region of the plasma membrane in direct contact with the virus. However, virus-induced receptor recruitment and cellular activation are transient processes that occur within minutes at the nanoscale. Hence, the temporal and spatial kinetics of such early events often remain poorly understood due to technical limitations. To address this challenge, we develop a protocol to covalently immobilize labelled influenza A viruses on glass surfaces before exposing them to live epithelial cells. Our method extends the observation time for virus-plasma membrane association while minimizing viral modifications, facilitating live imaging of virus-cell interactions. Using single-molecule super-resolution microscopy, we investigate virus-receptor interaction showing that viral receptors exhibit reduced mobility at the virus-binding site, which leads to a specific local receptor accumulation and turnover. We further follow the dynamics of clathrin-mediated endocytosis at the single-virus level and demonstrate the recruitment of adaptor protein 2 (AP-2), previously thought to be uninvolved in influenza A virus infection. Finally, we examine the nanoscale organization of the actin cytoskeleton at the virus-binding site, showing a local and dynamic response of the cellular actin cortex to the infecting virus.
See Also:
Latest articles in those days:
- Extended influenza seasons in Australia and New Zealand in 2025 due to the emergence of influenza A(H3N2) subclade K viruses 9 hours ago
- Dynamic ensemble deep learning with multi-source data for robust influenza forecasting in Yangzhou 10 hours ago
- Structural and immunological characterization of the H3 influenza hemagglutinin during antigenic drift 10 hours ago
- Novel Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus, Argentina, 2025 13 hours ago
- Avian influenza overview September - November 2025 2 days ago
[Go Top] [Close Window]


