Receptor binding by H10 influenza viruses

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Public Health
• Structural Biology

Background:

• Avian influenza viruses, such as H5N1 and H7N9, pose significant public health risks due to their potential to infect humans.
• The H10N8 virus has recently emerged, with documented human cases and fatalities, necessitating an understanding of its epidemic potential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the epidemic potential of the H10N8 avian influenza virus.
• To determine the receptor-binding properties of the H10N8 virus haemagglutinin.
• To analyze the structural characteristics of H10N8 haemagglutinin in complex with human receptors.

Main Methods:

• Determination of the haemagglutinin structure of an avian H10 virus.
• Analysis of the receptor-binding properties of the H10 virus.
• Crystallographic studies of the avian H10 haemagglutinin complexed with human receptors.

Main Results:

• The H10N8 virus exhibits high avidity for human receptors.
• Structural analysis reveals that the bound human receptor conformation shares characteristics with both the 1918 H1N1 pandemic virus and human H7 viruses.
• The H10N8 virus has sufficient avidity for human receptors to cause human infections.

Conclusions:

• Avian H10N8 virus possesses the necessary avidity for human receptors to infect humans.
• The virus's preference for avian receptors may be counteracted by human airway mucins, potentially limiting widespread human-to-human transmission.
• Surveillance should focus on mutations in the H10 haemagglutinin's receptor-binding site that reduce avian receptor avidity, potentially increasing human transmissibility.