Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 25, 2026

A Fluorogenic Peptide Cleavage Assay to Screen for Proteolytic Activity: Applications for coronavirus spike protein activation
07:53

A Fluorogenic Peptide Cleavage Assay to Screen for Proteolytic Activity: Applications for coronavirus spike protein activation

Published on: January 9, 2019

Fusion protein is the main determinant of metapneumovirus host tropism

Miranda de Graaf1, Eefje J A Schrauwen1, Sander Herfst1

  • 1Department of Virology, Erasmus Medical Centre, PO Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

The Journal of General Virology
|March 7, 2009
PubMed

Insights

The fusion (F) protein of metapneumoviruses determines host tropism, with the AMPV-C F protein showing greater fusogenicity. This finding explains differences in HMPV and AMPV-C replication in avian cells.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) and avian metapneumovirus subgroup C (AMPV-C) exhibit distinct host ranges, infecting humans and birds, respectively.
  • Understanding the genetic determinants of these host specificities is crucial for viral pathogenesis research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the contribution of individual metapneumovirus genes to host range.
  • To identify the viral proteins responsible for differential replication in mammalian versus avian cell lines.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized recombinant HMPV and AMPV-C with gene exchanges.
  • Employed in vitro cell-culture models (Vero-118 mammalian cells and QT6 avian cells).
  • Applied mini-genome systems to assess replication and transcription efficiency.

Main Results:

  • The metapneumovirus fusion (F) protein was identified as the primary determinant of host tropism.
  • Chimeric viruses with exchanged polymerase proteins showed reduced replication in avian cells.
  • AMPV-C F protein promoted larger syncytia formation and exhibited higher fusogenicity, particularly the F2 region.

Conclusions:

  • The F protein, specifically its F2 region, dictates metapneumovirus host tropism and membrane fusion capabilities.
  • Differential fusogenicity of the F protein underlies the observed host range differences between HMPV and AMPV-C.

More Related Videos

Production of Pseudotyped Particles to Study Highly Pathogenic Coronaviruses in a Biosafety Level 2 Setting08:40

Production of Pseudotyped Particles to Study Highly Pathogenic Coronaviruses in a Biosafety Level 2 Setting

Published on: March 1, 2019

Prediction of HIV-1 Coreceptor Usage (Tropism) by Sequence Analysis using a Genotypic Approach07:06

Prediction of HIV-1 Coreceptor Usage (Tropism) by Sequence Analysis using a Genotypic Approach

Published on: December 1, 2011

Related Concept Videos

Leaky Scanning02:28

Leaky Scanning

During most eukaryotic translation processes, the small 40S ribosome subunit scans an mRNA from its 5' end until it encounters the first start AUG codon. The large 60S ribosomal subunit then joins the smaller one to initiate protein synthesis. The location of the translation initiation is largely determined by the nucleotides near the start codon as there may be multiple translation initiation sites present on the mRNA.  Marilyn Kozak discovered that the sequence RCCAUGG (where R stands for...
Influenza01:27

Influenza

Influenza is an acute, highly communicable viral disease that affects the respiratory tract and is responsible for seasonal epidemics worldwide. Influenza A is the most prevalent type associated with widespread outbreaks and is subtyped based on two surface glycoproteins: hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N), as in H1N1. These glycoproteins are essential for viral infectivity, transmission, and immune recognition. Transmission occurs primarily through respiratory droplets and contaminated...
Inhibitors Of Virion Release01:25

Inhibitors Of Virion Release

Viral replication and dissemination rely on efficient mechanisms for host cell entry, genome replication, assembly, and release. Influenza viruses, such as types A and B, are negative-sense single-stranded RNA viruses with a segmented genome, that depend on two critical surface glycoproteins to carry out these processes: hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). HA initiates infection by binding to sialic acid residues on the surface of host epithelial cells, facilitating receptor-mediated...
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease01:29

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a widespread pathogen that primarily targets infants and young children but also poses a serious health risk to elderly and immunocompromised individuals. Belonging to the Pneumoviridae family, RSV is a negative-sense, single-stranded RNA virus within the Pneumovirus genus. Its global health burden is significant, with millions of cases annually resulting in hospitalizations and mortality, particularly in resource-limited settings. Although most...
Viral Structure00:56

Viral Structure

Viruses are extraordinarily diverse in shape and size, but they all have several structural features in common. All viruses have a core that contains a DNA- or RNA-based genome. The core is surrounded by a protective coat of proteins called the capsid. The capsid is composed of subunits called capsomeres. The capsid and genome-containing core are together known as the nucleocapsid.
Protein Complex Assembly02:41

Protein Complex Assembly

Proteins can form homomeric complexes with another unit of the same protein or heteromeric complexes with different types.  Most protein complexes self-assemble spontaneously via ordered pathways, while some proteins need assembly factors that guide their proper assembly. Despite the crowded intracellular environment, proteins usually interact with their correct partners and form functional complexes.
Many viruses self-assemble into a fully functional unit using the infected host cell to...