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Source: http://www.hhmi.org/news/abrahamharrison20100307.html
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March 07, 2010
New Ways to Disarm Deadly South American Hemorrhagic Fever Viruses
Several viruses found in South America can cause hemorrhagic fevers when transmitted from small rodents to humans. These viruses, including the Machupo virus, attach to cells by binding transferrin receptor, a protein that regulates cellular iron uptake. Transferrin receptor is a butterfly-shaped molecule that consists of three parts, including the apical domain shown in green. The normal function of the apical domain is unknown, but Harrison and Abraham?s new study shows that the Machupo virus surface protein, shown in blue, latches on to the tip of the apical domain.
New World hemorrhagic fevers are emerging infectious diseases found in South America that can cause terrible, Ebola-like symptoms. Current treatments are expensive and only partially effective.
Now, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers have discovered exactly how one type of New World hemorrhagic fever virus latches onto and infects human cells, offering a much-needed lead toward new treatments.
?New World hemorrhagic fevers are nasty, serious, and often fatal diseases,? says Stephen C. Harrison, an HHMI investigator at Harvard Medical School and senior author of the report, published March 7, 2010, in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. ?The need for new interventions is high.?
Arenaviruses, the infectious agents that cause New World hemorrhagic fevers, circulate naturally in rodents and can infect people who are in close contact with the animals. Symptoms include severe inflammation and bleeding from the mouth, nose, eyes, and other orifices. Most outbreaks occur in rural regions of Bolivia, Venezuela, Argentina, and Brazil. ?The outbreaks of New World hemorrhagic fever tend to be brief and brutal, with mortality rates of 20 to 30 percent,? says Jonathan Abraham, an M.D./Ph.D. candidate at Harvard University and first author of the paper. ?These viruses aren?t a huge public health issue yet, but you could say the New World hemorrhagic fevers are an emerging disease threat.? ...
(Click above for full article)
March 07, 2010
New Ways to Disarm Deadly South American Hemorrhagic Fever Viruses
Several viruses found in South America can cause hemorrhagic fevers when transmitted from small rodents to humans. These viruses, including the Machupo virus, attach to cells by binding transferrin receptor, a protein that regulates cellular iron uptake. Transferrin receptor is a butterfly-shaped molecule that consists of three parts, including the apical domain shown in green. The normal function of the apical domain is unknown, but Harrison and Abraham?s new study shows that the Machupo virus surface protein, shown in blue, latches on to the tip of the apical domain.
New World hemorrhagic fevers are emerging infectious diseases found in South America that can cause terrible, Ebola-like symptoms. Current treatments are expensive and only partially effective.
Now, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers have discovered exactly how one type of New World hemorrhagic fever virus latches onto and infects human cells, offering a much-needed lead toward new treatments.
?New World hemorrhagic fevers are nasty, serious, and often fatal diseases,? says Stephen C. Harrison, an HHMI investigator at Harvard Medical School and senior author of the report, published March 7, 2010, in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. ?The need for new interventions is high.?
Arenaviruses, the infectious agents that cause New World hemorrhagic fevers, circulate naturally in rodents and can infect people who are in close contact with the animals. Symptoms include severe inflammation and bleeding from the mouth, nose, eyes, and other orifices. Most outbreaks occur in rural regions of Bolivia, Venezuela, Argentina, and Brazil. ?The outbreaks of New World hemorrhagic fever tend to be brief and brutal, with mortality rates of 20 to 30 percent,? says Jonathan Abraham, an M.D./Ph.D. candidate at Harvard University and first author of the paper. ?These viruses aren?t a huge public health issue yet, but you could say the New World hemorrhagic fevers are an emerging disease threat.? ...