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Related Concept Videos

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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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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SNAREs and Membrane Fusion01:43

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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.
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Intracellular Movement of Viruses and Bacteria01:10

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Intracellular bacteria and viruses often comprise a group of highly infectious pathogens that can cause several diseases. Bacterial pathogens include those belonging to the genus Rickettsia responsible for conditions such as rocky mountain spotted fever and the Mediterranean spotted fever; Chlamydia, a genus responsible for a sexually transmitted disease; Coxiella burnetii, an agent responsible for Q fever. Viral pathogens include vaccinia—a poxvirus, and herpes simplex virus—a...
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Retrovirus Life Cycles01:10

Retrovirus Life Cycles

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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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Retroviruses02:33

Retroviruses

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Retroviruses and retrotransposons both insert copies of their genetic elements into the genome of the host cell. Thus, the viral genes are passed on when the host genome is replicated or translated. A typical retroviral DNA sequence contains 3-4 genes that encode the different proteins required for its structural assembly and function as a molecular parasite. This DNA is transcribed into a single mRNA, which is very similar in structure to conventional mRNAs, i.e., it is capped at the 5’...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 24, 2025

Cell-cell Fusion of Genome Edited Cell Lines for Perturbation of Cellular Structure and Function
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Cell-cell Fusion of Genome Edited Cell Lines for Perturbation of Cellular Structure and Function

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Virus-Mediated Cell-Cell Fusion.

Héloïse Leroy1,2,3, Mingyu Han1,2,3, Marie Woottum1,2,3

  • 1Institut Cochin, Inserm U1016, 75014 Paris, France.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|December 22, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Certain viruses, particularly enveloped viruses, can cause infected cells to fuse with neighboring cells, forming syncytia. This virus-mediated cell-cell fusion is driven by viral fusion proteins and is crucial for viral spread and pathogenesis.

Keywords:
cell-cell fusionsyncytiavirusvirus spreading

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Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Cell Biology
  • Pathogenesis

Background:

  • Cell-cell fusion is a fundamental biological process implicated in various physiological and pathological states.
  • Viruses, as obligate intracellular pathogens, exploit host cell machinery for replication.
  • Enveloped viruses, including human pathogens, can induce cell-cell fusion, leading to syncytia formation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide a comprehensive overview of animal virus families that trigger cell-cell fusion.
  • To highlight the role of viral fusion proteins (fusogens) in mediating this process.
  • To focus specifically on human viral pathogens capable of inducing syncytia.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing scientific literature on viral cell-cell fusion.
  • Analysis of viral families and their mechanisms of inducing fusion.
  • Focus on enveloped viruses and their fusogenic proteins.

Main Results:

  • Identified various animal virus families capable of mediating cell-cell fusion.
  • Highlighted the critical role of virus-encoded fusion proteins (fusogens) in this process.
  • Detailed how viral fusogens interact with host cell receptors to initiate fusion.

Conclusions:

  • Virus-induced cell-cell fusion is a significant mechanism for viral spread and pathogenesis.
  • Viral fusogens are key determinants of a virus's ability to induce syncytia.
  • Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for developing antiviral strategies against human pathogens.