Role of the cellular protein gC1qR in the virus life cycles

The cellular protein gC1qR (also named HABP1, p32, p33 or TAP) has been identified as a partner of several viral proteins belonging to different virus families. gC1qR is a mitochondrial protein also present at the cell surface and in the nucleus. In normal cells, gC1qR seems involved in diverse biological processes related to its cellular localization. gC1qR could be involved in apoptosis in mitochondria, in RNA splicing in the nucleus or in immune and inflammatory responses at the cell surface. The multiple functions of gC1qR, as the variety of its viral partners, raise the question of its possible function(s) in the viral cycle. The goal of this review is to: (i) summarize what is known about gC1qR, (ii) focus on the demonstrated or hypothetical functions of the gC1qR-viral proteins complexes reported in the literature and (iii) propose a model on the possible roles of gC1qR in the viral life cycles.