Bird Flu: Science and Policy

[DewDiligence]

Antiviral Researchers Focus on the Tail

http://yahoo.reuters.com/news/articlehybrid.aspx?storyID=urn:newsml:reuters.com:20061206:MTFH15473_2...

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By Patricia Reaney

LONDON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Scientists said on Wednesday they have identified a weakness in a protein in influenza viruses which could be targeted by new drugs to halt the spread of infection.

The protein's long tail appears to be its weak point. The tail loop is almost identical in different strains of influenza A -- the most common form of the virus. New drugs that target it could be effective against multiple strains including the feared H5N1 bird flu.

"We have determined the atomic structure of the nucleoprotein from influenza A virus and found it contains a flexible tail loop," said Yizhi Jane Tao, the head of the research team from Rice University in Houston, Texas.

"This protein is important for virus replication.

The tail structure gives us some hints about how to design antiviral drugs by using this protein as a target," Tao explained.

The scientists are now collaborating with other researchers to screen possible drug compounds that could inhibit virus replication.

…The tail loop of NP has about 30 amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins.

"We found that a mutation in only one residue out of 30 was enough to prevent the NPs from coming together to form the building blocks for the columns, and without these columns the virus cannot make copies and infect other cells," Tao said.
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