Pandemic Avian Influenza and Intra/Interhaemagglutinin Subtype Electrostatic Variation among Viruses Isolated from Avian, Mammalian, and Human Hosts.

ABSTRACT: Host jump can result in deadly pandemic events when avian influenza A viruses broaden their host specificity and become able to infect mammals, including humans. Haemagglutinin-the major capsid protein in influenza A viruses-is subjected to high rate mutations, of which several occur at its "head": the receptor-binding domain that mediates specific binding to host cell receptors. Such surface-changing mutations may lead to antigenically novel influenza A viruses hence in pandemics by host jump and in vaccine escape by antigenic drift. Changes in haemagglutinin surface electrostatics have been recently associated with antigenic drift and with clades evolution and spreading in H5N1 and H9N2 viruses. We performed a comparative analysis of haemagglutinin surface electrostatics to investigate c

SUBMITTER: Righetto I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5985083 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature