Researchers at Purdue University have identified the role of a protein segment that allows some cancer-causing viruses to latch onto and infect cells. The work may lead to new therapies aimed at thwarting such viruses.
Retroviruses can cause tumors and leukemia in animals and humans.
The AIDS virus also is a retrovirus. Working with doctoral student Gwen Taylor of Monaca, Pa., Sanders discovered the importance of an amino acid sequence that is part of a protein that was previously thought to be unassuming. Their study shows that this segment of the protein is essential for membrane fusion, and that changing just one amino acid in the sequence could eliminate fusion between the virus and its host. The findings, published in the September issue of Molecular Biology of the Cell, may lead to novel treatments to block the entry of retroviruses and other membrane-possessing viruses, Sanders says. Sanders studies the structure of proteins that stud the membrane surrounding a retrovirus.