Echoviruses are human pathogens belonging to the picornavirus family. Decay-accelerating factor (DAF) is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored surface protein that protects cells from lysis by autologous complement. Anti-DAF monoclonal antibodies prevented echovirus 7 attachment to susceptible cells and protected cells from infection. HeLa cells specifically lost the capacity to bind echovirus 7 when treated with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C, an enzyme that releases GPI-anchored proteins from the cell surface, indicating that the virus receptor, like DAF, is a GPI-anchored protein. Although Chinese hamster ovary cells do not bind echovirus 7, transfectants expressing human DAF bound virus efficiently, and binding was prevented by pretreatment with an anti-DAF monoclonal antibody. Anti-DAF antibodies prevented infection by at least six echovirus serotypes. These results indicate that DAF is the receptor mediating attachment and infection by several echoviruses.

Bergelson, J. M., Chan, M., Solomon, K. R., St John, N. F., Lin, H., & Finberg, R. W. (1994). Decay-accelerating factor (CD55), a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored complement regulatory protein, is a receptor for several echoviruses. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 91(13), 6245–6248.