Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 19, 2026

Affinity Purification of Influenza Virus Ribonucleoprotein Complexes from the Chromatin of Infected Cells
11:20

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

Published on: June 3, 2012

13.5K

The Human Antimicrobial Protein Bactericidal/Permeability-Increasing Protein (BPI) Inhibits the Infectivity of

Olaf Pinkenburg1, Torben Meyer1, Norbert Bannert2

  • 1Institute for Immunology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany.

Plos One
|June 9, 2016
PubMed

Insights

A human antimicrobial peptide (AMP) derived from bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) shows potent antiviral activity against Influenza A virus strains. This peptide also inhibits viral pathogenicity and immune cell activation, offering new therapeutic avenues.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Virology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Antimicrobial peptides and proteins (AMPs) possess antibacterial and antiviral properties.
  • Human bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) N-terminal peptide exhibits antibacterial activity.
  • Influenza A virus causes significant respiratory illness and pneumonia.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the antiviral activity of a human BPI-derived peptide against Influenza A virus.
  • To determine the specificity of the peptide's antiviral effects.
  • To elucidate the mechanism of action of the human BPI-peptide on virus particles.

Main Methods:

  • Peptide synthesis and characterization.
  • In vitro antiviral assays using Influenza A virus strains (H1N1, H3N2, H5N1).
  • Assays for immune cell activation.
  • Electron microscopy to visualize virus-peptide interactions.

Main Results:

  • The human BPI-peptide effectively inhibited infectivity of multiple Influenza A virus strains.
  • Homologous murine BPI-peptide lacked antiviral activity, indicating sequence specificity.
  • Human BPI-peptide also inhibited Vesicular Stomatitis Virus but not HIV or measles virus.
  • Electron microscopy revealed interference with the virus envelope and particle destruction at high concentrations.

Conclusions:

  • The human BPI-peptide is a potent inhibitor of Influenza A virus infectivity and pathogenicity.
  • Sequence-specific interactions are crucial for the peptide's antiviral efficacy.
  • The peptide's mechanism involves direct disruption of the viral envelope.

More Related Videos

Identifying Caspases and their Motifs that Cleave Proteins During Influenza A Virus Infection08:16

Identifying Caspases and their Motifs that Cleave Proteins During Influenza A Virus Infection

Published on: July 21, 2022

1.9K
Co-immunoprecipitation of the Mouse Mx1 Protein with the Influenza A Virus Nucleoprotein09:39

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

Published on: April 21, 2015

18.4K

Related Concept Videos

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...
5
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...
5.8K
Antimicrobial Proteins01:23

Antimicrobial Proteins

Antimicrobial proteins are important components of the immune system. They aid the body in combating pathogens by either killing them directly or hindering their replication processes. Four main types of antimicrobial substances are interferons, the complement system, iron-binding proteins, and antimicrobial proteins.
Interferons
Interferons (IFNs) are proteins produced by lymphocytes, macrophages, and fibroblasts infected with viruses. While IFNs cannot prevent viruses from entering and...
15.2K
Antimicrobial Effectiveness01:28

Antimicrobial Effectiveness

The effectiveness of antimicrobial agents depends on various factors influencing their ability to eliminate microbial populations. Larger microbial populations require more time for complete eradication, emphasizing the importance of population size analysis when evaluating antimicrobial efficacy.Microbial resistance to antimicrobial agents varies significantly. Highly resilient microorganisms include endospores, gram-negative bacteria, and non-enveloped viruses, while prions are exceptionally...
1.8K
Inhibitors of Gram-positive Cell Wall Synthesis01:23

Inhibitors of Gram-positive Cell Wall Synthesis

Bacterial cell walls are typically rigid structures composed mainly of peptidoglycan, a mesh-like polymer that provides mechanical strength and maintains cell shape. The synthesis of peptidoglycan is a crucial process in bacterial growth and serves as a primary target for many antibiotics.Mechanism of Action of Beta-Lactam AntibioticsBeta-lactam antibiotics, such as penicillin, inhibit peptidoglycan synthesis in actively growing cells. These antibiotics share a characteristic four-membered...
8
Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis01:30

Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis

Protein synthesis is indispensable for viral replication, as viruses lack the cellular machinery required for this process and must hijack the host's translational apparatus. In response, host cells deploy a critical innate immune defense involving interferons, specialized cytokines that play a central role in inhibiting viral propagation.Upon viral detection, infected cells release interferons that bind to receptors on adjacent uninfected cells, activating the JAK-STAT signaling pathway and...
1