Dengue virus (DENV) is a flavivirus causing an estimated 390 million infections per year around the world. Despite the immense global health and economic impact of this virus, its true receptor(s) for internalization into live cells has not yet been identified, and no successful antivirals or treatments have been isolated to this date. This study aims to improve our understanding of virus entry routes by exploring the sialic acid–based cell surface molecule GM1a and its role in DENV infection. We studied the interaction of the virus with GM1a using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, fluorescence crosscorrelation spectroscopy, imaging fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, amide hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry, and isothermal titration calorimetry.
