title: NMR solution structure and backbone dynamics of domain III of the E protein of tick-borne Langat flavivirus suggests a potential site for molecular recognition.
abstract: Flaviviruses cause many human diseases, including dengue fever, yellow fever, West Nile viral encephalitis, and hemorrhagic fevers, and are transmitted to their vertebrate hosts by infected mosquitoes and ticks. Domain III of the envelope protein (E-D3) is considered to be the primary viral determinant involved in the virus-host-cell receptor interaction, and thus represents an excellent target for antiviral drug development. Langat (LGT) virus is a naturally attenuated BSL-2 TBE virus and is a model for the pathogenic BSL-3 and BSL-4 viruses in the serogroup. We have determined the solution structure of LGT-E-D3 using heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy. The backbone dynamics of LGT-E-D3 have been investigated using 15N relaxation measurements. A detailed analysis of the solution structure and dynamics of LGT-E-D3 suggests potential residues that could form a surface for molecular recognition, and thereby represent a target site for antiviral therapeutics design.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555-0647, USA.
authors.forename: Munia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mukherjee
authors.forename: Kaushik
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dutta
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cowburn
authors.forename: Robert O
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Fox
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D003460:Crystallization; D004669:Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012996:Solutions; D040681:Structural Homology, Protein; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012996:Solutions; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C065696:glycoprotein E, Flavivirus