title: Rules and exceptions: sialic acid variants and their role in determining viral tropism.
abstract: Sialic acids decorate the surfaces of most mammalian cells and are used by many viruses as attachment receptors. In contrast to other mammals, humans cannot synthesize a version of sialic acid known as N-glycolyl neuraminic acid. This difference is exploited by some viruses to establish tropism. Here we compare recently determined structures of closely related animal and human polyomaviruses and examine their strategies for engaging specific sialic acid variants.
authors.affiliation: Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA thilo.stehle@uni-tuebingen.de.
authors.forename: Thilo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stehle
authors.affiliation: Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Zaigham M
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Khan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D011120:Polyomavirus / Q000502:physiology*; D011991:Receptors, Virus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D056189:Viral Tropism; D053585:Virus Attachment
chemical_list: D011991:Receptors, Virus; D012794:Sialic Acids