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Updated: Jun 25, 2026
09:08
Generation and Assembly of Virus-Specific Nucleocapsids of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus
Published on: July 27, 2021
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
Summary
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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