Physical Aspects of Viral Membrane Fusion
Enveloped viruses commonly employ membrane fusion during cell penetration in order to deliver their genetic material across the cell boundary. Large conformational changes in the proteins embedded in the viral membrane play a fundamental role in the membrane fusion process. Despite the tremendously...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2009-01-01
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| Series: | The Scientific World Journal |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1100/tsw.2009.76 |
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| _version_ | 1832548373993881600 |
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| author | Laura Wessels Keith Weninger |
| author_facet | Laura Wessels Keith Weninger |
| author_sort | Laura Wessels |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Enveloped viruses commonly employ membrane fusion during cell penetration in order to deliver their genetic material across the cell boundary. Large conformational changes in the proteins embedded in the viral membrane play a fundamental role in the membrane fusion process. Despite the tremendously wide variety of viruses that contain membranes, it appears that they all contain membrane fusion protein machinery with a remarkably conserved mechanism of action. Much of our current biochemical understanding of viral membrane fusion has been derived from high-resolution structural studies and solution-based in vitro assays in which viruses fuse with liposomes or cells. Recently, single-particle experiments have been used to provide measurements of details not available in the bulk assays. Here we focus our discussion on the key dynamical aspects of fusion protein structure, along with some of the experimental and computational techniques presently being used to investigate viral-mediated membrane fusion. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f9af4a15a3854b5397dd10cae2d63e65 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1537-744X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2009-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Scientific World Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-f9af4a15a3854b5397dd10cae2d63e652025-02-03T06:14:20ZengWileyThe Scientific World Journal1537-744X2009-01-01976478010.1100/tsw.2009.76Physical Aspects of Viral Membrane FusionLaura Wessels0Keith Weninger1Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USADepartment of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USAEnveloped viruses commonly employ membrane fusion during cell penetration in order to deliver their genetic material across the cell boundary. Large conformational changes in the proteins embedded in the viral membrane play a fundamental role in the membrane fusion process. Despite the tremendously wide variety of viruses that contain membranes, it appears that they all contain membrane fusion protein machinery with a remarkably conserved mechanism of action. Much of our current biochemical understanding of viral membrane fusion has been derived from high-resolution structural studies and solution-based in vitro assays in which viruses fuse with liposomes or cells. Recently, single-particle experiments have been used to provide measurements of details not available in the bulk assays. Here we focus our discussion on the key dynamical aspects of fusion protein structure, along with some of the experimental and computational techniques presently being used to investigate viral-mediated membrane fusion.http://dx.doi.org/10.1100/tsw.2009.76 |
| spellingShingle | Laura Wessels Keith Weninger Physical Aspects of Viral Membrane Fusion The Scientific World Journal |
| title | Physical Aspects of Viral Membrane Fusion |
| title_full | Physical Aspects of Viral Membrane Fusion |
| title_fullStr | Physical Aspects of Viral Membrane Fusion |
| title_full_unstemmed | Physical Aspects of Viral Membrane Fusion |
| title_short | Physical Aspects of Viral Membrane Fusion |
| title_sort | physical aspects of viral membrane fusion |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1100/tsw.2009.76 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT laurawessels physicalaspectsofviralmembranefusion AT keithweninger physicalaspectsofviralmembranefusion |