Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 13, 2026

Multi-target Parallel Processing Approach for Gene-to-structure Determination of the Influenza Polymerase PB2 Subunit
22:10

Multi-target Parallel Processing Approach for Gene-to-structure Determination of the Influenza Polymerase PB2 Subunit

Published on: June 28, 2013

Influenza virus M2 protein: a molecular modelling study of the ion channel

M S Sansom1, I D Kerr

  • 1Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, University of Oxford, UK.

Protein Engineering
|January 1, 1993
PubMed

Insights

This study presents a molecular model of the influenza A M2 protein channel, explaining how amantadine blocks ion flow. The model predicts that cyclopentylamine will not block the M2 channel.

Area of Science:

  • Structural biology
  • Virology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Influenza A M2 protein forms ion channels essential for viral replication.
  • These channels are targeted by antiviral drugs like amantadine.
  • Understanding M2 channel structure is key to developing new influenza treatments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a molecular model of the influenza A M2 ion channel.
  • To elucidate the mechanism of amantadine block at the molecular level.
  • To predict the channel-blocking potential of related compounds like cyclopentylamine.

Main Methods:

  • Construction of a molecular model of the M2 channel based on helix bundle structure.
  • Analysis of helix amphipathicity to determine helix orientation.
  • Computational evaluation of energy profiles for ion and drug interactions within the channel.

Main Results:

  • A model of four parallel M2 helices forming a cation-selective pore, wider at the N-terminus.
  • Identification of key residues (V27, S31, I42) lining the pore and D24, D44 at the mouths.
  • Energy profiles reveal amantadine-H+ interaction sites and a blocking barrier near I42, absent for cyclopentylamine-H+.

Conclusions:

  • The molecular model provides a structural basis for amantadine's M2 channel blocking mechanism.
  • The predicted lack of a blocking barrier suggests cyclopentylamine will not inhibit M2 channel function.
  • This research aids in the design of novel M2 channel inhibitors.

More Related Videos

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

Influenza A Virus Studies in a Mouse Model of Infection10:44

Influenza A Virus Studies in a Mouse Model of Infection

Published on: September 7, 2017

Related Concept Videos

Ion Channels01:19

Ion Channels

The movement of ions like sodium, potassium, and calcium into and out of the cell is essential to maintain the electrochemical gradient in living cells. The ion channels—a class of membrane transport proteins—help maintain this ionic gradient for the smooth functioning of physiological activities such as maintaining cell size and volume, conducting nerve impulses, and gas and nutrient exchange.
Ion channels are specialized integral membrane proteins on the plasma membrane that allow specific...
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 stands for...
Ligand-gated Ion Channels01:19

Ligand-gated Ion Channels

Ligand-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins with a channel for ions to pass through and a binding site for a ligand. The channel opens only when a ligand attaches to the binding site.
Three Subfamilies of Ligand-gated Ion Channels
Ligand-gated ion channels fall into three subfamilies. The 'Cys-loop' includes the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glycine, and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors. The second one is the 'Pore-loop' channels that include the...
Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism01:30

Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism

Ligand-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins that play a vital role in intercellular communication and functions of the nervous system. They allow the influx of ions across the membrane once the neurotransmitter binds, allowing the subsequent transmission of electrical excitation across the neurons. Other ligand-gated ion channels, like the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor, permit anions like chloride into the cells on the binding of the GABA molecule. Their entry into the cell...
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...
Inhibitors Of Virion Release01:25

Inhibitors Of Virion Release

Viral replication and dissemination rely on efficient mechanisms for host cell entry, genome replication, assembly, and release. Influenza viruses, such as types A and B, are negative-sense single-stranded RNA viruses with a segmented genome, that depend on two critical surface glycoproteins to carry out these processes: hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). HA initiates infection by binding to sialic acid residues on the surface of host epithelial cells, facilitating receptor-mediated...