Fusing structure and function: A structural view of the herpesvirus entry machinery

Sarah A. Connolly, Julia O. Jackson, Theodore S. Jardetzky, Richard Longnecker*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

383 Scopus citations

Abstract

Herpesviruses are double-stranded DNA, enveloped viruses that infect host cells through fusion with either the host cell plasma membrane or endocytic vesicle membranes. Efficient infection of host cells by herpesviruses is remarkably more complex than infection by other viruses, as it requires the concerted effort of multiple glycoproteins and involves multiple host receptors. The structures of the major viral glycoproteins and a number of host receptors involved in the entry of the prototypical herpesviruses, the herpes simplex viruses (HSVs) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), are now known. These structural studies have accelerated our understanding of HSV and EBV binding and fusion by revealing the conformational changes that occur on virus-receptor binding, depicting potential sites of functional protein and lipid interactions, and identifying the probable viral fusogen.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)369-381
Number of pages13
JournalNature Reviews Microbiology
Volume9
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2011

Funding

Research in the Jardetzky and Longnecker laboratories was supported by US Public Health Service grants (AI076183 and CA117794 to T.S.J., and AI076183, CA117794 and AI067048 to R.L.). The authors thank current and former members of their laboratories for their contributions to the work described, as well as their many colleagues throughout the world who have contributed to understanding the entry of EBV, HSV and other herpesviruses.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Microbiology
  • General Immunology and Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases

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