Multiple HA substitutions in highly pathogenic avian influenza H5Nx viruses contributed to the change in the NA subtype preference.

ABSTRACT: Novel highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5Nx viruses are predominantly circulating worldwide, with an increasing potential threat of an outbreak in humans. It remains largely unknown how the stably maintained HPAI H5N1 suddenly altered its neuraminidase (NA) to other NA subtypes, which resulted in the emergence and evolution of H5Nx viruses. Here, we found that a combination of four specific amino acid (AA) substitutions (S123P-T156A-D183N- S223 R) in the hemagglutinin (HA) protein consistently observed in the H5Nx markedly altered the NA preference of H5N1 viruses. These molecular changes in H5N1 impaired its fitness, particularly viral growth and the functional activities of the HA and NA proteins. Among the AA substitutions identified, the T156A substitution, which contributed to

SUBMITTER: Antigua KJC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9176248 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature