Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 22, 2026
Assays for the Specific Growth Rate and Cell-binding Ability of Rotavirus
Published on: January 28, 2019
Structural Insights into Rotavirus Entry
Javier M Rodríguez1, Daniel Luque2
1Centro Nacional de Microbiología/ISCIII, Madrid, Spain. j.rodriguez@isciii.es.
Insights
Rotaviruses, a cause of diarrheal disease, infect cells through a complex entry process. This review details the structure and dynamics of rotavirus
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Structural Biology
- Cellular Biology
Background:
- Rotaviruses are non-enveloped dsRNA viruses responsible for significant diarrheal disease in infants and animals.
- Viral infection requires cell recognition and membrane penetration, often via pore formation or lysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the structure and dynamics of the rotavirus entry machinery.
- To survey current models of rotavirus cell entry.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of structural information on rotavirus over the past 30 years.
- Focus on the viral proteins involved in cell entry.
Main Results:
- Rotavirus entry is initiated by viral spike interaction with cell surface glycan ligands.
- Conformational changes in outer capsid proteins drive the entry process.
Conclusions:
- Understanding rotavirus entry machinery is crucial for combating viral infections.
- Structural dynamics play a key role in the complex multistep entry process.
Abstract:
To initiate infection, non-enveloped viruses must recognize a target cell and penetrate the cell membrane by pore formation or membrane lysis. Rotaviruses are non-enveloped dsRNA viruses that infect the mature intestinal epithelium. They are major etiologic agents of diarrheal disease in human infants, as well as in young individuals of various avian and mammalian species. Rotavirus entry into the cell is a complex multistep process initiated by the interaction of the tip of the viral spike with glycan ligands at the cell surface, and driven by conformational changes of the proteins present in the outer protein capsid, the viral machinery for entry. This review feeds on the abundant structural information produced for rotavirus during the past 30 years and focuses on the structure and the dynamics of the rotavirus entry machinery. We survey the current models for rotavirus entry into cells.
Related Concept Videos
02:22Structures of Solids
02:34Structural Isomerism
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula. Structural isomerism of coordination compounds can be divided into two subcategories, the linkage isomers and coordination-sphere isomers.
Linkage isomers occur when the coordination compound contains a ligand that can bind to the transition metal center through two different atoms. For example, the CN− ligand can bind through the carbon atom or through the nitrogen atom. Similarly, SCN− can...
03:38Structure of Lipids
00:56Viral Structure
01:10Antibody Structure
Antibodies, also known as immunoglobulins (Ig), are essential players of the adaptive immune system. These antigen-binding proteins are produced by B cells and make up 20 percent of the total blood plasma by weight. In mammals, antibodies fall into five different classes, which each elicits a different biological response upon antigen binding.
The Y-Shaped Structure of Antibodies Consists of Four Polypeptide Chains
Antibodies consist of four polypeptide chains: two identical heavy...
02:15Protein and Protein Structure
A protein's shape is critical to its function. For example, an enzyme...