Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 15, 2026
07:24
In Vitro Disassembly of Influenza A Virus Capsids by Gradient Centrifugation
Published on: March 27, 2016
9.5K
Understanding Influenza A Virus Particles Detaching from Reconstructed Cell Surfaces
Thomas Kolbe1, Pierre Gaspard1, Bortolo Matteo Mognetti1
1Interdisciplinary Center for Nonlinear Phenomena and Complex Systems, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), B-1050 Brussels, Belgium.
Nano Letters
|October 10, 2025
Summary
Influenza virions detach from cells via neuraminidase activity, which can unexpectedly speed up detachment as more bonds form. This process depends on various biochemical factors, not just bond numbers.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Biophysics
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Influenza virus infection involves viral particles trafficking across cell membranes.
- Hemagglutinin (HA) binding to sialic acid initiates viral entry, while neuraminidase (NA) facilitates detachment after budding.
- Understanding virion detachment is crucial for comprehending influenza's spread and developing antivirals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the dynamics of influenza virion detachment from host cell membranes.
- To elucidate the role of neuraminidase activity in regulating virion residence time.
- To explain counterintuitive experimental observations regarding detachment kinetics.
Main Methods:
- Utilized computational simulations to model virion-cell membrane interactions.
- Performed theoretical analysis of detachment dynamics.
- Examined the influence of biochemical parameters on detachment rates.
Main Results:
- Detachment time can decrease with an increased average number of HA-sialic acid bonds, a phenomenon specific to neuraminidase activity.
- Virion detachment time is not accurately described by a Poisson distribution.
- Detachment kinetics are influenced by ligand-receptor binding rates, virion size, and receptor diffusion.
Conclusions:
- Neuraminidase activity plays a critical role in regulating influenza virion detachment.
- Biochemical parameters, beyond simple bond counts, govern the residence time of virions at the cell surface.
- This study clarifies the biophysical mechanisms underlying influenza virus release and spread.
Related Concept Videos
02:28Leaky Scanning
5.6K
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...
5.6K
00:57Viral Recombination
24.9K
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.
24.9K