A brief review of CD163 and its role in PRRSV infection.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) infects fully differentiated cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage. Recently, CD163 was shown to be a cellular receptor capable of mediating infection of otherwise PRRSV non-permissive cell lines. CD163 is a macrophage differentiation antigen belonging to the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich (SRCR) family of membrane proteins. We provide a brief review of current knowledge regarding CD163 in relation to PRRSV infection, and propose a structure-based prediction of amino acid sequences involved in PRRSV interaction.