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Related Concept Videos

SNAREs and Membrane Fusion01:43

SNAREs and Membrane Fusion

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Once a transport vesicle has recognized its target organelle, the vesicular membrane needs to fuse with the target membrane to unload the cargo. Transmembrane proteins called SNAREs present on organelle membranes and their vesicles, mediate vesicle fusion.
SNAREs exist in pairs that symmetrically interact and catalyze the fusion of the lipid bilayers in vesicle and target organelle. v-SNARE in the vesicle membrane are single polypeptide chains that bind to a complementary t-SNARE, composed of 2...
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Fusion of Secretory Vesicles with the Plasma Membrane01:26

Fusion of Secretory Vesicles with the Plasma Membrane

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Proteins and neurotransmitters in secretory vesicles can be released from a cell upon vesicle docking, priming, and fusion with the plasma membrane. Vesicles are docked and primed in preparation for the quick exocytosis of their contents in response to a stimulus. The fusion process is mainly carried out by a SNAP Receptor or SNARE complex, consisting of synaptobrevin, syntaxin-1, and SNAP-25.
In 1993, Jim Rothman proposed that the antiparallel pairing of vesicular and transmembrane SNAREs, or...
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Viral Recombination00:57

Viral Recombination

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Cells are sometimes infected by more than one virus at once. When two viruses disassemble to expose their genomes for replication in the same cell, similar regions of their genomes can pair together and exchange sequences in a process called recombination. Alternatively, viruses with segmented genomes can swap segments in a process called reassortment.
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Retrovirus Life Cycles01:10

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Retroviruses have a single-stranded RNA genome that undergoes a special form of replication. Once the retrovirus has entered the host cell, an enzyme called reverse transcriptase synthesizes double-stranded DNA from the retroviral RNA genome. This DNA copy of the genome is then integrated into the host’s genome inside the nucleus via an enzyme called integrase. Consequently, the retroviral genome is transcribed into RNA whenever the host’s genome is transcribed, allowing the...
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Vesicular Tubular Clusters01:45

Vesicular Tubular Clusters

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After budding out from the ER membrane, some COPII vesicles lose their coat and fuse with one another to form larger vesicles and interconnected tubules called vesicular tubular clusters or VTCs. These clusters constitute a compartment at the ER-Golgi interface known as ERGIC (Endoplasmic Reticulum Golgi Intermediate Compartment). The ERGIC is a mobile membrane-bound cargo transport system that sorts proteins secreted from ER and delivers them to the Golgi.
With the help of motor proteins such...
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Viral Structure00:56

Viral Structure

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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.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 15, 2026

Method for Measurement of Viral Fusion Kinetics at the Single Particle Level
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Method for Measurement of Viral Fusion Kinetics at the Single Particle Level

Published on: September 7, 2009

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Viral membrane fusion.

Stephen C Harrison1

  • 1Boston Children׳s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, United States.

Virology
|April 14, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Viral fusion proteins catalyze cell entry by driving membrane fusion through conformational changes. These proteins engage target cell membranes, mediating the merging of virus and cell bilayers to initiate infection.

Keywords:
Fusion mechanismFusion proteinVirus entry

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Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Structural Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Enveloped viruses require membrane fusion to enter host cells.
  • Viral fusion proteins are essential catalysts that overcome the kinetic barrier of lipid bilayer fusion.
  • Despite diverse structures, viral fusion proteins share a common mechanism for mediating fusion.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the generic mechanism of viral fusion proteins.
  • To understand the conformational changes involved in viral entry.
  • To explore the structural basis of membrane fusion catalysis.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of viral fusion protein structures in pre- and postfusion conformations.
  • Investigation of single-virion fusion kinetics.
  • Characterization of the role of hydrophobic segments (fusion loops/peptides).

Main Results:

  • Viral fusion proteins undergo signal-triggered conformational changes.
  • A hydrophobic fusion segment engages the target cell membrane.
  • The collapse of intermediate structures drives viral and cell membrane merger.
  • Three distinct structural classes of viral fusion proteins are identified.

Conclusions:

  • Viral fusion proteins utilize a conserved mechanism involving conformational changes and hydrophobic interactions to mediate membrane fusion.
  • Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for developing antiviral strategies.
  • Structural studies provide insights into the dynamic process of viral entry.