Investigating Ebola virus pathogenicity using molecular dynamics.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Ebolaviruses have been known to cause deadly disease in humans for 40 years and have recently been demonstrated in West Africa to be able to cause large outbreaks. Four Ebolavirus species cause severe disease associated with high mortality in humans. Reston viruses are the only Ebolaviruses that do not cause disease in humans. Conserved amino acid changes in the Reston virus protein VP24 compared to VP24 of other Ebolaviruses have been suggested to alter VP24 binding to host cell karyopherins resulting in impaired inhibition of interferon signalling, which may explain the difference in human pathogenicity. Here we used protein structural analysis and molecular dynamics to further elucidate the interaction between VP24 and KPNA5.

Results

As a control experiment, we

SUBMITTER: Pappalardo M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5558184 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature