Abstract

Structure–function studies have defined two classes of viral membrane-fusion proteins that have radically different architectures but adopt a similar overall 'hairpin' conformation to induce fusion of the viral and cellular membranes and therefore initiate infection. In both classes, the hairpin conformation is achieved after a conformational change is triggered by interaction with the target cell. This review will focus in particular on the properties of the more recently described class II proteins.

Author affiliations

1. Department of Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, New York 10461, USA. Email: kielian@aecom.yu.edu
2. Virologie Moleculaire et Structurale, Unité Mixte de Recherche 2472/1157, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique — Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, 1 Avenue de la Terrasse, F-91198 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France; and Virology Department, Institut Pasteur, 25 Rue du Docteur Roux, F-75724 Paris Cedex 15, France. Email: rey@vms.cnrs-gif.fr

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