Tackling Common Viral Respiratory Disease Respiratory infections strike millions of people each year and collectively cause more deaths than any single infectious disease. For the first time, scientists have determined the structure of a key protein from a paramyxovirus, a leading cause of respiratory disease in children throughout the world. In the November issue of Nature Structural Biology , researchers describe the three-dimensional structure of a protein used by paramyxoviruses to latch onto, penetrate and exit the cells of the respiratory tract. Their study reveals clues for effective new drugs and highlights the benefits of structural biology in helping guide drug design against communicable diseases.
Paramyxoviruses cause several respiratory diseases in humans and animals.
One of these viruses, parainfluenza, infects almost all children before they reach the age of 5, causing illnesses ranging from colds to pneumonia. We have no vaccines or effective drugs to stop viruses like parainfluenza. This study opens new possibilities for drug development. The protein plays a key role in infection, helping the virus recognize and enter cells and to spread to neighboring cells as the virus reproduces. Each of these properties depends on the unique shape of the protein and the chemical charges distributed across its surface.