title: Protein recognition by cell surface receptors: physiological receptors versus virus interactions.
abstract: Protein-protein recognition is a major kind of receptor-ligand interaction: a living cell receives external signals to adapt to the environment through cell surface receptors. On opposing cell surfaces, such recognition bears distinct features: it is a multivalent, reversible and avidity-driven process. The affinity between each individual contacting pair is low. Viruses might take advantage of this low affinity to invade a host cell by evolving a stronger binding affinity to the surface receptors than that associated with physiological ligands. Structural data appear to support this notion.
authors.affiliation: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Dept Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Room SM-1036B, 44 Binney St, Boston, MA 02115, USA. jwang@red.dfci.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Jia huai
authors.initials: Jh
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D018801:CD2 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism*; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism; D002450:Cell Communication; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008024:Ligands; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018801:CD2 Antigens; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D008024:Ligands; D011506:Proteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface