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Review
. 2014 Dec;12(12):822-31.
doi: 10.1038/nrmicro3362. Epub 2014 Nov 10.

Enabling the 'host jump': structural determinants of receptor-binding specificity in influenza A viruses

Yi Shi  1 , Ying Wu  2 , Wei Zhang  2 , Jianxun Qi  2 , George F Gao  3
Affiliations
Review

Enabling the 'host jump': structural determinants of receptor-binding specificity in influenza A viruses

Yi Shi et al. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2014 Dec.

Abstract

The recent emergence of the H7N9 avian influenza A virus and its ability to infect humans emphasize the epidemic and pandemic potential of these viruses. Interspecies transmission is the result of many factors, which ultimately lead to a change in the host tropism of the virus. One of the key factors involved is a shift in the receptor-binding specificity of the virus, which is mostly determined by mutations in the viral haemagglutinin (HA). In this Review, we discuss recent crystallographic studies that provide molecular insights into HA-host receptor interactions that have enabled several influenza A virus subtypes to 'jump' from avian to human hosts.

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