Identification of cell membrane proteins involved in dsRNA internalization

Cellular uptake of dsRNA from the environment is a widespread phenomenon among insects. In Drosophila and in honeybees, the injection and the ingestion respectively of dsRNA against a viral sequence is sufficient to hinder virus replication. We wanted to identify cell surface proteins that bind to extracellular dsRNA, mediating its internalization. To this end, we developed an unconventional co-immunoprecipitation protocol followed by proteomics analysis.