The surface glycoproteins of hantaviruses

Hantaviruses are rodent-borne viruses distributed worldwide, transmitted through the air and with the ability to spread from person to person. They maintain a non-symptomatic persistent infection in their rodent hosts, but their spillover to humans produces a renal or pulmonary syndrome associated w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current opinion in virology 2021-10, Vol.50, p.87-94
Main Authors: Guardado-Calvo, Pablo, Rey, Félix A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biochemistry, Molecular Biology
Glycoproteins
Hantavirus
Hantavirus Infections
Humans
Life Sciences
Membrane Glycoproteins
RNA Viruses
Structural Biology
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Summary:Hantaviruses are rodent-borne viruses distributed worldwide, transmitted through the air and with the ability to spread from person to person. They maintain a non-symptomatic persistent infection in their rodent hosts, but their spillover to humans produces a renal or pulmonary syndrome associated with high fatality rates. Hantavirus particles are lipid-enveloped and display a characteristic surface lattice built up of tetragonal spikes composed of two glycoproteins, Gn and Gc. The pleomorphism of these particles has hindered cryo-EM efforts to obtain detailed structural information and only by using a combination of X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron tomography it was possible to build an atomic model of the surface lattice. Here we review these structural efforts and the unanticipated evolutionary relations between hantaviruses and alphaviruses highlighted by these studies.
ISSN:1879-6257
1879-6265
DOI:10.1016/j.coviro.2021.07.009