3.2.2. Sphingolipids and WNV Particle Formation

In an earlier report, Martin-Acebes and colleagues [49] also showed that WNV particles were enriched in sphingomyelin. Surprisingly, pharmacological inhibition of neutral sphingomyelinase (converts sphingomyelin into ceramide and phosphorylcholine) reduced WNV release from infected cells, implying perhaps that ceramide generated from sphingomyelin catabolism is critical for the infectious WNV particle. Subsequent analysis showed that inhibition of neutral sphingomyelinase activity reduces the budding of the immature WNV particles, a crucial step in infectious WNV particle formation [49]. While this study appears to be at odds with the putative role of sphingomyelin in WNV entry, it also highlights the role of sphingomyelin in two distinct steps of the WNV replication cycle.
