title: Side chain packing below the fusion peptide strongly modulates triggering of the Hendra virus F protein.
abstract: Triggering of the Hendra virus fusion (F) protein is required to initiate the conformational changes which drive membrane fusion, but the factors which control triggering remain poorly understood. Mutation of a histidine predicted to lie near the fusion peptide to alanine greatly reduced fusion despite wild-type cell surface expression levels, while asparagine substitution resulted in a moderate restoration in fusion levels. Slowed kinetics of six-helix bundle formation, as judged by sensitivity to heptad repeat B-derived peptides, was observed for all H372 mutants. These data suggest that side chain packing beneath the fusion peptide is an important regulator of Hendra virus F triggering.
authors: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, College of Medicine, Biomedical Biological Sciences Research Building, 741 South Limestone, Lexington, KY 40536-0509, USA.
authors: Everett Clinton
authors: EC
authors: Smith
authors: Rebecca Ellis
authors: RE
authors: Dutch
mesh_terms: D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D000818:Animals; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D045404:Hendra Virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008958:Models, Molecular; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D050505:Mutant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D040681:Structural Homology, Protein; D014162:Transfection; D014709:Vero Cells; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D053586:Virus Internalization
chemical_list: D050505:Mutant Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins