and Play an Important Role in the Adsorption of Influenza Virus by Affecting the Synthesis of Sialic Acid Receptors.

Influenza A viruses (IAVs) initiate infection by attaching Hemagglutinin (HA) on the viral envelope to sialic acid (SA) receptors on the cell surface. Importantly, HA of human IAVs has a higher affinity for α-2,6-linked SA receptors, and avian strains prefer α-2,3-linked SA receptors, whereas swine strains have a strong affinity for both SA receptors. Host gene and were found to be essential for IAV attachment and entry. Loss of and hindered the synthesis of sialic acid receptors, which in turn prevented the adsorption of IAV. Further, the knockout of had an effect on the adsorption of swine, avian and human IAVs. However, knockout prevented the adsorption of swine and avian IAV and the impact on avian IAV was more distinct, whereas it had no effect on the adsorption of human IAV. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that knocking out and negatively regulated IAV replication by inhibiting the synthesis of SA receptors, which also provides new insights into the production of gene-edited animals in the future.