Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Since hemagglutinin is the major surface protein of the influenza A virus and is essential to the entry process, it is the primary target of neutralizing antibodies. [citation needed] These antibodies against flu have been found to act by two different mechanisms, mirroring the dual functions of hemagglutinin:
Envelope – The viral envelope consists of a lipid bilayer derived from the host cell. Two viral proteins; hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA), are inserted into the envelope and are exposed as spikes on the surface of the virion. Both proteins are antigenic; a host's immune system can react to them and produce antibodies in response ...
Viral proteins are grouped according to their functions, and groups of viral proteins include structural proteins, nonstructural proteins, regulatory proteins, and accessory proteins. [1] Viruses are non-living and do not have the means to reproduce on their own, instead depending on their host cell's machinery to do this.
HA codes for hemagglutinin, which is an antigenic glycoprotein found on the surface of the influenza viruses and is responsible for binding the virus to the cell that is being infected. Hemagglutinin forms spikes at the surface of flu viruses that function to attach viruses to cells. This attachment is required for efficient transfer of flu ...
The viral life cycle begins by binding to a target cell. Binding is mediated by the viral HA proteins on the surface of the envelope, which bind to cells that contain sialic acid receptors on the surface of the cell membrane. [1] [19] [3] For N1 subtypes with the "G147R" mutation and N2 subtypes, the NA protein can initiate entry.
Influenza A viruses are further classified, based on the viral surface proteins hemagglutinin (HA or H) and neuraminidase (NA or N). 18 HA subtypes (or serotypes) and 11 NA subtypes of influenza A virus have been isolated in nature. Among these, the HA subtype 1-16 and NA subtype 1-9 are found in wild waterfowl and shorebirds and the HA ...
When not inside an infected cell or in the process of infecting a cell, viruses exist in the form of independent viral particles, or virions, consisting of (i) genetic material, i.e., long molecules of DNA or RNA that encode the structure of the proteins by which the virus acts; (ii) a protein coat, the capsid, which surrounds and protects the ...
Viral neuraminidase cleaves terminal sialic acid residues from glycan structures on the surface of the infected cell. This promotes the release of progeny viruses and the spread of the virus from the host cell to uninfected surrounding cells. Neuraminidase also cleaves sialic acid residues from viral proteins, preventing aggregation of viruses.