Conserved residues in Lassa fever virus Z protein modulate viral infectivity at the level of the ribonucleoprotein.

ABSTRACT: Arenaviruses are negative-strand RNA viruses that cause human diseases such as lymphocytic choriomeningitis, Bolivian hemorrhagic fever, and Lassa hemorrhagic fever. No licensed vaccines exist, and current treatment is limited to ribavirin. The prototypic arenavirus, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), is a model for dissecting virus-host interactions in persistent and acute disease. The RING finger protein Z has been identified as the driving force of arenaviral budding and acts as the viral matrix protein. While residues in Z required for viral budding have been described, residues that govern the Z matrix function(s) have yet to be fully elucidated. Because this matrix function is integral to viral assembly, we reasoned that this would be reflected in sequence conservation. Using

SUBMITTER: Capul AA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3067847 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature