• FluTrackers.com Inc. does not provide medical advice. Information on this web site is collected from various internet resources, and the FluTrackers board of directors makes no warranty to the safety, efficacy, correctness or completeness of the information posted on this site by any author or poster. The information collated here is for instructional and/or discussion purposes only and is NOT intended to diagnose or treat any disease, illness, or other medical condition. Every individual reader or poster should seek advice from their personal physician/healthcare practitioner before considering or using any interventions that are discussed on this website. By continuing to access this website you agree to consult your personal physican before using any interventions posted on this website, and you agree to hold harmless FluTrackers.com Inc., the board of directors, the members, and all authors and posters for any effects from use of any medication, supplement, vitamin or other substance, device, intervention, etc. mentioned in posts on this website, or other internet venues referenced in posts on this website.
  • We are not asking for any donations. Do not donate to any entity who says they are raising funds for us.

Activation of influenza viruses by proteases from host cells and bacteria in the human airway epithelium

tetano

Editor, Senior Moderator
Pathog Dis. 2013 Jun 12. doi: 10.1111/2049-632X.12053. [Epub ahead of print]
Activation of influenza viruses by proteases from host cells and bacteria in the human airway epithelium.
B?ttcher-Friebertsh?user E, Klenk HD, Garten W.
Source

Institute of Virology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
Abstract

Influenza is an acute infection of the respiratory tract, which affects each year millions of people. Influenza virus infection is initiated by the surface glycoprotein hemagglutinin (HA) through receptor binding and fusion of viral and endosomal membranes. HA is synthesized as a precursor protein and requires cleavage by host cell proteases to gain its fusion capacity. Although cleavage of HA is crucial for virus infectivity, little was known about relevant proteases in the human airways for a long time. Recent progress in the identification and characterization of HA-activating host cell proteases has been considerable however and supports the idea of targeting HA cleavage as a novel approach for influenza treatment. Interestingly, certain bacteria have been demonstrated to support HA activation either by secreting proteases that cleave HA or due to activation of cellular proteases and thereby may contribute to virus spread and enhanced pathogenicity. In this review, we give an overview on activation of influenza viruses by proteases from host cells and bacteria with the main focus on recent progress on HA cleavage by proteases HAT and TMPRSS2 in the human airway epithelium. In addition, we outline investigations of HA-activating proteases as potential drug targets for influenza treatment.

? 2013 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.
KEYWORDS:

HAT , TMPRSS2, influenza treatment by protease inhibitors, influenza virus hemagglutinin, proteolytic cleavage, viral-bacterial pneumonia

PMID:
23821437
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23821437
 
Back
Top Bottom