"Viruses are masters of cunning" - Imaging Of Influenza Virus Protein Opens Way To Design New Anti-viral Drugs

Already blogging about vital information that can be obtained form publications and scientific literature Smart tools to track, analyze and visualize research and the importance of Protein structure information in Protein structure databases with new web services for structural biology and biomedical research.

Now one of the tactics used by influenza virus to take over the machinery of infected cells has been laid bare by structural biologists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and the joint Unit of Virus Host-Cell Interaction of EMBL, the University Joseph Fourier and National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), in Grenoble, France.

The high-resolution image of the influenza virus' PB2 protein shows how the virus steals a 'cap' molecule from its host to take over the protein production machinery and multiply. PB2 binds the cap by sandwiching it between aromatic amino acids.

"Viruses are masters of cunning when it comes to hijacking the normal functioning of the host cell. The influenza virus steals a password from host messenger RNAs, molecules that carry the instructions for protein production, and uses it to gain access to the cell's protein-making machinery for its own purposes," says Cusack.

In the current issue of Nature Structural and Molecular Biology they publish a high-resolution image of a key protein domain whose function is to allow the virus to multiply by hijacking the host cell protein production machinery. The findings open the way for the design of new drugs to combat future influenza pandemics.

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