Studies reveal structure of EV71, a virus causing childhood illnesses

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.healthcanal.com/infectio...e-EV71-virus-causing-childhood-illnesses.html

Studies reveal structure of EV71, a virus causing childhood illnesses
01/03/2012 21:13:00

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Researchers have discovered critical new details about the structure of a virus that causes potentially fatal brain swelling and paralysis in children, pointing toward designs for antiviral drugs to treat the disease.

Purdue researchers created this three-dimensional reconstruction of enterovirus 71, which causes hand, foot and mouth disease and potentially fatal encephalitis. Researchers are reporting new findings about the structure of the virus, proposing a way to design an antiviral drug to treat the infection (Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University)...

...Note to Journalists: A copy of the research paper is available by contacting the Science Press Package team at 202-326-6440, scipak@aaas.org

ABSTRACT

Crystal Structure of the Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease Virus, Enterovirus 71

Pavel Plevka1, Rushika Perera1, Jane Cardosa2, Richard J. Kuhn1, and Michael G. Rossmann1*

1Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University

2Sentinext Therapeutics, Malaysia

* To whom correspondence should be addressed: mr@purdue.edu

Enterovirus 71 is a picornavirus associated with fatal neurological illness in infants and young children. Here we report the crystal structure of enterovirus 71 and show that, unlike in other enteroviruses, the "pocket factor," a small molecule that stabilizes the virus, is partly exposed on the floor of the canyon. Thus the structure of antiviral compounds may require a hydrophilic head group designed to interact with residues at the entrance of the pocket.

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Studies reveal structure of EV71, a virus causing childhood illnesses

Structure Of Enterovirus 71, A Virus Causing Childhood Illnesses, Revealed By Studies

Main Category: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses

Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health; Neurology / Neuroscience

Article Date: 05 Mar 2012

Researchers have discovered critical new details about the structure of a virus that causes potentially fatal brain swelling and paralysis in children, pointing toward designs for antiviral drugs to treat the disease.

The virus, called enterovirus 71, causes hand, foot and mouth disease, and is common throughout the world. Although that disease usually is not fatal, the virus has been reported to cause encephalitis, a potentially fatal illness found primarily in the Asia-Pacific region.

Now, two research teams are reporting new findings about the structure of the virus. One of the teams, from Purdue University, has proposed a way to design antiviral drugs to treat the infection. Findings from that team are detailed in a paper appearing Thursday (March 1) in the online Express issue of the journal Science. Another team, led by researchers at Oxford University, will report its findings in a paper scheduled to appear Sunday (March 4) in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.

"Taken together, the findings in both papers are useful when you are trying to stop the virus from infecting host cells," said Michael G. Rossmann, Purdue's Hanley Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences. "The common theme is that they both report for the first time on the structure of this virus, and this tells us how to design compounds to fight the infection."

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