Intercellular adhesion molecule 1 and Decay-accelerating factor (ICAM-1/DAF)

ICAM-1/DAF refers to the dual-receptor system composed of Intercellular Adhesion Molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and Decay-Accelerating Factor (DAF, also known as CD55). This combination is notably exploited by certain enteroviruses, such as Coxsackievirus A21 (CVA21), to infect and lyse host cells. DAF serves as a high-affinity attachment receptor that sequesters and concentrates the virus on the plasma membrane, while ICAM-1 acts as the essential entry receptor that triggers viral internalization. In a therapeutic context, this receptor pair is a primary target for oncolytic virotherapy because both proteins are frequently overexpressed on the surface of various malignant cells, including melanoma, breast, and lung cancers, compared to healthy tissues. Drugs like CVA21 (Cavatak) leverage this differential expression to selectively target and destroy tumor cells while stimulating a systemic anti-tumor immune response.

Other names

CD54/CD55ICAM1/CD55Intercellular adhesion molecule 1/CD55ICAM-1/Decay-accelerating factorICAM-1/DAF receptor complex

Coxsackievirus A21 (CVA21) utilizes DAF as an attachment receptor to concentrate virions on the cell surface, followed by binding to ICAM-1 which facilitates viral internalization and subsequent cell lysis (oncolysis).