The coxsackie B virus and adenovirus receptor resides in a distinct membrane microdomain

The coxsackie B virus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily. In addition to activity as a viral receptor, it may play a role in cellular adhesion. We asked what determines the cell membrane microdomain of CAR. We found that CAR is localized to a novel lipid-rich microdomain similar to that of the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) but distinct from that of a CAR variant that exhibited traditional lipid raft localization via fusion to a glycosylphosphatidlylinositol (GPI) tail. The cytoplasmic tail determines its membrane localization, since deletion of this domain resulted in mislocalization. Results indicate that CAR, CAR-LDLR, and LDLR reside in a novel lipid raft that is distinct from caveolin-1-containing caveolae and GPI-linked proteins. Residence in a lipid-rich domain provides a mechanism that allows CAR to interact with other cell adhesion proteins and yet function as an adenovirus receptor.