Crystal structure of varicella-zoster virus protease.

ABSTRACT: Varicella-zoster virus (VZV), an alpha-herpes virus, is the causative agent of chickenpox, shingles, and postherpetic neuralgia. The three-dimensional crystal structure of the serine protease from VZV has been determined at 3.0-A resolution. The VZV protease is essential for the life cycle of the virus and is a potential target for therapeutic intervention. The structure reveals an overall fold that is similar to that recently reported for the serine protease from cytomegalovirus (CMV), a herpes virus of the beta subfamily. The VZV protease structure provides further evidence to support the finding that herpes virus proteases have a fold and active site distinct from other serine proteases. The VZV protease catalytic triad consists of a serine and two histidines. The distal histidine is pr

SUBMITTER: Qiu X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC20290 | biostudies-literature | 1997 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature