# CD71: Role in permafrost immunity

## TL;DR

The paper discusses how CD71, a protein involved in iron transport, helps viruses enter cells and suggests targeting CD71 to combat viruses emerging from melting permafrost.

## Contribution

The paper introduces CD71 as a potential target to mitigate the spread of viruses emerging from melting permafrost.

## Key findings

- CD71 facilitates virus entry into host cells by acting as a receptor.
- CD71 is linked to the viral co-receptor CD81.
- Interventions targeting CD71 could help combat emerging viruses from permafrost.

## Abstract

Iron, an essential constituent of cell metabolism, is transported intra-cellularly bound to the ubiquitous 76 kDa blood glycoprotein
transferrin via the transferrin receptor, CD71. Because of its structure, CD71 facilitates the binding and penetration of a large variety
of viruses into the host. Among which the hemorrhagic fever-causing New World mammarena viruses (family of single stranded ambisense
segmented RNA Arenaviridae), the single stranded positive sense RNA hepatitis C virus, the single stranded negative sense segmented
influenza A virus, the single stranded negative sense RNA rabies virus, the single stranded positive sense SARS-CoV2 and possibly many
others. In this process, CD71 is associated with the target of the anti-proliferative antibody-1 (CD81) viral co-receptor. In light of
the plethora of novel and ancient viruses and microbes emerging from melting eternal glacier ice and permafrost, it is timely and
critical to define and characterize interventions, besides the soluble form of CD71 (sCD71), that can abrogate or minimize this novice
non-canonical function of CD71.