A number of different viral spike proteins, responsible for membrane fusion, show striking similarities in their core structures. The prospect of developing a general structure-based mechanism seems plausible in light of these newly determined structures. Influenza hemagglutinin (HA) is the best-studied fusion machine, whose action has previously been described by a hypothetical “spring-loaded” model. This model has recently been extended to explain the mechanism of other systems, such as HIV gp120–gp41. However, evidence supporting this idea is insufficient, requiring re-examination of the mechanism of HA-induced membrane fusion. Recent experiments with a shortened construct of HA, which is able to induce lipid mixing, have provided evidence for an alternative scenario for HA-induced membrane fusion and perhaps that of other viral systems.
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Research Article|
December 01 2000
Insights into a Structure-Based Mechanism of Viral Membrane Fusion
Danika L. LeDuc;
Danika L. LeDuc
1Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley
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Yeon-Kyun Shin
Yeon-Kyun Shin
2Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Online ISSN: 1573-4935
Print ISSN: 0144-8463
© 2000 Plenum Publishing Corporation
2000
Biosci Rep (2000) 20 (6): 557–570.
Citation
Danika L. LeDuc, Yeon-Kyun Shin; Insights into a Structure-Based Mechanism of Viral Membrane Fusion. Biosci Rep 1 December 2000; 20 (6): 557–570. doi: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010463005396
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