Role of respiratory tract proteases in infectivity of influenza A virus.

Proteolytic cleavage of influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) glycoprotein into subunits designated HA1 and HA2 is required for penetration of virus into the cell. It is generally assumed that this cleavage is an intracellular function of the host cell. Human adenoid fibroblast (HAF) lines, which support the growth of influenza A virus but release virus with an uncleaved HA, provide a model system that has allowed exploration of mechanisms of cleavage in vivo. Exposure of HAF-grown influenza virus to nasal secretions from children with respiratory tract symptoms induced HA cleavage and rendered virus fully infectious. Characterization of this proteolytic enzyme, present in the extracellular environment of the respiratory tract, suggests that it is a serine endopeptidase.