Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Research Highlight
  • Published:

Virus structure

One of a kind!

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 6, pages 6–7 (2008)Cite this article

Despite the availability of a commercial vaccine, the highly contagious measles virus remains a substantial health risk for which there is currently no specifically targeted treatment or antiviral therapy. The structure of the measles virus haemagglutinin (MVH), which the virus uses to bind to host-cell receptors, has now been revealed in a recent study published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.

The authors then compared the structure of MVH with those of other viruses and found that it was most similar to the haemagglutinin/neuraminidase fold of the parainfluenza virus (PIV). However, large positional differences were detected, which suggests that, despite having similar folds, the haemagglutinin structures of the two viruses have diverged considerably. Finally, mutagenesis and antibody-blocking data were mapped onto the solved MVH structure and it was found that the binding surfaces of SLAM and CD46 are far apart and distinct from the large cavity that is analogous to that used by other viruses for sialic acid binding.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Colf, L. A., Juo, Z. S. & Garcia, K. C. Structure of the measles virus hemagglutinin. Nature Struct. Mol. Biol. 18 Nov 2007 (doi:10.1038/nsmb1342)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Gillian Young
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Young, G. One of a kind!. Nat Rev Microbiol 6, 6–7 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro1827

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro1827

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing