The role and implication of rotavirus VP8∗ in viral infection and vaccine development

Rotaviruses (RVs) are major causative agents of diarrhea in both humans and animals worldwide. Despite the successful development of live attenuated vaccines, the efficacy of these vaccines remains low in developing countries and RV infections still result in more than 200,000 deaths in children under 5 years old globally each year. These viruses are also an enteric pathogen for agricultural animals and have caused substantial economic losses annually to the animal livestock industry. Frequent reassortment and the emergence of new RV strains continue to pose a significant challenge to human and agricultural animal health. Attachment to susceptible cells by recognizing cell surface glycans is the first step of the RV lifecycle, which is directed by the RV spike protein VP8∗. VP8∗-host glycan receptor interactions are thought to be strain-specific and play an important role in RV replication fitness, tropism, and cross-species transmission. This review will summarize the current understanding of the roles of VP8∗ in engagement of glycan receptors and its functional consequences in impacting RV replication fitness and host ranges. The current progress towards developing a VP8∗-based RV vaccine is also discussed in the review.