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Generation and Assembly of Virus-Specific Nucleocapsids of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus
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Generation and Assembly of Virus-Specific Nucleocapsids of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus

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Measles virus glycoprotein complex assembly, receptor attachment, and cell entry

C K Navaratnarajah1, V H J Leonard, R Cattaneo

  • 1Mayo Clinic of Medicine, Dept. of Molecular Medicne, Virology and Gene Therapy Graduate Track, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.

Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology
|February 10, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Measles virus uses hemagglutinin (H) and fusion (F) proteins to enter cells. Research focuses on how H protein receptor binding triggers conformational changes for cell entry, advancing paramyxovirus fusion understanding.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Measles virus (MV) entry involves cell surface membrane fusion mediated by hemagglutinin (H) and fusion (F) glycoproteins.
  • The H protein binds to cellular receptors, initiating fusion via the F protein.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize receptor-specific conformational changes in the MV H protein dimer.
  • To understand how these changes transmit to the F protein trimer, mediating viral entry.
  • To explore targeting MV attachment and entry via engineered H proteins.

Main Methods:

  • Characterization of receptor binding footprints on the H protein.
  • Analysis of conformational changes in the H protein dimer upon receptor interaction.
  • Investigating the transmission of these changes to the F protein trimer.

Main Results:

  • MV H protein interacts with at least three receptors: signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM, CD150), membrane cofactor protein (MCP, CD46), and an unidentified epithelial cell receptor (EpR).
  • Receptor-specific conformational alterations in the H protein dimer are crucial for triggering membrane fusion.
  • Engineered H proteins can direct MV entry to specific receptors.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding receptor-H protein interactions is key to deciphering MV cell entry mechanisms.
  • These findings advance the general understanding of paramyxovirus glycoprotein-mediated membrane fusion.
  • Targeting H protein-receptor interactions offers potential strategies for controlling MV infection.

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