The entry of enveloped viruses into host cells is accomplished by fusion ofthe viral envelope and target plasma membrane and is mediated by fusionproteins. Recently, several functional domains within fusion proteins fromdifferent viral families were identified. Some are directly involved inconformational changes after receptor binding, as suggested by the recentrelease of crystallographically determined structures of a highly stablecore structure of the fusion proteins in the absence of membranes. However, in the presence of membranes, this core binds strongly to the membrane's surface and dissociates therein. Other regions, besides the N-terminal fusionpeptide, which include the core region and an internal fusion peptide inparamyxoviruses, are directly involved in the actual membrane fusion event, suggesting an “umbrella” like model for the membrane inducedconformational change of fusion proteins. Peptides resembling these regionshave been shown to have specific antiviral activity, presumably because theyinterfere with the corresponding domains within the viruses. Overall, thesestudies shed light into the molecular mechanism of membrane fusion induced byenvelope glycoproteins and suggest that fusion proteins from different viralfamilies share common structural and functional motifs.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Research Article|
December 01 2000
Functional Domains within Fusion Proteins: Prospectives for Development of Peptide Inhibitors of Viral Cell Fusion
Yechiel Shai
Yechiel Shai
1Department of Biological Chemistry, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
Search for other works by this author on:
Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Online ISSN: 1573-4935
Print ISSN: 0144-8463
© 2000 Plenum Publishing Corporation
2000
Biosci Rep (2000) 20 (6): 535–555.
Citation
Yechiel Shai; Functional Domains within Fusion Proteins: Prospectives for Development of Peptide Inhibitors of Viral Cell Fusion. Biosci Rep 1 December 2000; 20 (6): 535–555. doi: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010411021326
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign in to your personal account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Captcha Validation Error. Please try again.