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Measuring Dengue Virus RNA in the Culture Supernatant of Infected Cells by Real-time Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction
Published on: November 1, 2018
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Temperature dependent conformational change of dengue virus
Xinzheng Zhang1, Lei Sun2, Michael G Rossmann2
1Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; National Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
Current Opinion in Virology
|May 15, 2015
Summary
Dengue virus undergoes a temperature-dependent shape change, transitioning to a
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Structural Biology
Background:
- Dengue virus fever affects 400 million people annually, causing 21,000 deaths.
- No fully effective vaccine or drug therapy currently exists for dengue virus.
- Dengue virus serotypes exhibit temperature-dependent conformational changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the temperature-dependent structural changes of dengue virus serotypes.
- To understand the implications of these conformational changes in virus infectivity.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of dengue virus serotype structures at varying temperatures.
- Characterization of the 'smooth' and 'bumpy' conformational states.
Main Results:
- Dengue virus serotypes transition from a 'smooth' to a 'bumpy' form near 37°C.
- The 'bumpy' structure is less stable than the 'smooth' form.
- The 'bumpy' form is likely an intermediate in the formation of fusogenic virus particles.
Conclusions:
- Temperature-induced conformational changes are a key characteristic of dengue virus.
- The 'bumpy' structure may play a role in viral fusion and infection.
- Further research into these structural dynamics could inform therapeutic strategies.
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