Patent ID: 7635752

Claim:
An isolated measles virus hemagglutinin (H) polypeptide, wherein mammalian SLAM + cells comprising said H polypeptide and a fusion (F) polypeptide consisting of the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:8 fuse in a SLAM-dependent manner to a lesser extent than control mammalian SLAM + cells comprising a test H polypeptide consisting of the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 and said F polypeptide, wherein said H polypeptide in combination with said F polypeptide comprises the ability to induce cell fusion, and wherein the amino acid sequence of said H polypeptide comprises at least one amino acid selected from the group consisting of: (i) an amino acid other than arginine at the position corresponding to position 533 of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1, and (ii) an amino acid other than tyrosine at the position corresponding to position 553 of said amino acid sequence.