Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Co-immunoprecipitation of the Mouse Mx1 Protein with the Influenza A Virus Nucleoprotein
09:39

Co-immunoprecipitation of the Mouse Mx1 Protein with the Influenza A Virus Nucleoprotein

Published on: April 21, 2015

Influenza virus m2 ion channel protein is necessary for filamentous virion formation

Jeremy S Rossman1, Xianghong Jing, George P Leser

  • 1Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Cell Biology, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3500, USA.

Journal of Virology
|March 12, 2010
PubMed

Insights

The influenza A virus M2 protein

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Influenza A virus exhibits spherical and filamentous virion morphologies.
  • The matrix protein M1 is known to influence viral filament formation.
  • The role of the M2 integral membrane protein in filamentation is less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the function of the influenza virus M2 protein in viral filament formation.
  • To identify specific domains within the M2 protein crucial for filamentation.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of M2 protein mutants.
  • Observation of M2 protein localization during viral infection.
  • Cholesterol binding assays.

Main Results:

  • Specific sites within the M2 protein's cytoplasmic tail are essential for filament formation.
  • M2 protein, typically a non-raft protein, localizes to lipid rafts and virus budding sites during infection.
  • An amphipathic helix in the M2 cytoplasmic tail binds cholesterol.

Conclusions:

  • The M2 protein's cytoplasmic tail is critical for influenza virion filamentation.
  • M2 protein's ability to bind cholesterol may be vital for both forming and stabilizing viral filaments.

More Related Videos

In Vitro Disassembly of Influenza A Virus Capsids by Gradient Centrifugation07:24

In Vitro Disassembly of Influenza A Virus Capsids by Gradient Centrifugation

Published on: March 27, 2016

Affinity Purification of Influenza Virus Ribonucleoprotein Complexes from the Chromatin of Infected Cells11:20

Affinity Purification of Influenza Virus Ribonucleoprotein Complexes from the Chromatin of Infected Cells

Published on: June 3, 2012

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...
Inhibitors of Virion Maturation and Assembly01:19

Inhibitors of Virion Maturation and Assembly

As part of their replication cycle, certain viruses synthesize long precursor proteins called polyproteins within infected host cells. In human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), two major polyproteins are produced: Gag and Gag-Pol. The Gag polyprotein supplies the structural components of the virus, while Gag-Pol includes essential viral enzymes such as reverse transcriptase, integrase, and protease. After synthesis, these polyproteins move to the host cell membrane, where they assemble into an...
Intralumenal Vesicles and Multivesicular Bodies01:38

Intralumenal Vesicles and Multivesicular Bodies

Intraluminal vesicles (ILVs) are small vesicles 50-80 nm in diameter formed during the maturation of early endosomes. A specialized endosome containing numerous ILVs is called a multivesicular body (MVB). ILVs contain internalized molecules such as antigens, nucleic acids, proteins, and metabolites. Some of these molecules are released from the MVBs inside exosomes and are transported to other cells. Other MVBs contain molecules that are retained in the ILVs and are later degraded within the...
Intracellular Movement of Viruses and Bacteria01:10

Intracellular Movement of Viruses and Bacteria

Intracellular bacteria and viruses often comprise a group of highly infectious pathogens that can cause several diseases. Bacterial pathogens include those belonging to the genus Rickettsia responsible for conditions such as rocky mountain spotted fever and the Mediterranean spotted fever; Chlamydia, a genus responsible for a sexually transmitted disease; Coxiella burnetii, an agent responsible for Q fever. Viral pathogens include vaccinia—a poxvirus, and herpes simplex virus—a virus that...