Recent work has identified three distinct classes of viral membrane fusion proteins based on
structural criteria. In addition, there are at least four distinct mechanisms by which viral fusion …

The worldwide infection rate for HIV-1 is estimated to be 14,000 per day, but only now, more
than 20 years into the epidemic, are the immediate events between exposure to infectious …

The envelope glycoprotein (Env) complex of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 has
evolved a structure that is minimally immunogenic while retaining its natural function of …

Throughout evolution, organisms have developed immune-surveillance networks to protect
themselves from potential pathogens. At the cellular level, the signalling events that regulate …

The current general model of HIV viral entry involves the binding of the trimeric viral
envelope glycoprotein gp120/gp41 to cell surface receptor CD4 and chemokine co-receptor …

HIV entry inhibitors include coreceptor antagonists and the fusion inhibitor T-20. T-20 binds
the first helical region (HR1) in the gp41 subunit of the viral envelope (Env) protein and …

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an enveloped virus whose surface glycoprotein
gp120 binds CD4 on target cell membranes to initiate infection. About half of the …

For HIV-1 to enter a cell, its envelope protein (Env) must sequentially engage CD4 and a
chemokine coreceptor, triggering conformational changes in Env that ultimately lead to …

Influenza virus penetrates cells by fusion of viral and endosomal membranes catalyzed by
the viral hemagglutinin (HA). Structures of the initial and final states of the HA trimer define …

Enveloped viruses encode specialized fusion proteins which promote the merger of viral
and cell membranes, permitting the cytosolic release of the viral cores. Understanding the …