Properties and structures of the influenza and HIV fusion peptides on lipid membranes: implications for a role in fusion.

ABSTRACT: The fusion peptides of HIV and influenza virus are crucial for viral entry into a host cell. We report the membrane-perturbing and structural properties of fusion peptides from the HA fusion protein of influenza virus and the gp41 fusion protein of HIV. Our goals were to determine: 1), how fusion peptides alter structure within the bilayers of fusogenic and nonfusogenic lipid vesicles and 2), how fusion peptide structure is related to the ability to promote fusion. Fluorescent probes revealed that neither peptide had a significant effect on bilayer packing at the water-membrane interface, but both increased acyl chain order in both fusogenic and nonfusogenic vesicles. Both also reduced free volume within the bilayer as indicated by partitioning of a lipophilic fluorophore into membranes. T

SUBMITTER: Haque ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1366814 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature