Research progress in membrane fusion process among Paramyxoviruses / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

ABSTRACT

The family Paramyxoviridae is a group of viruses that significantly affect human and animal health. Paramyxoviruses are generally thought to enter host cells by direct fusion of the viral and host cell membranes. Membrane fusion, essential for syncytium formation, is not only a pathological hallmark of paramyxoviral infections, but also a kind of mechanism of cell-to-cell viral spread. Nevertheless, the process of membrane fusion is highly conserved, only consisting of two-component fusion apparatus an attachment protein (HN/G/H) and a fusion (F) protein. However, there is a significant knowledge gap on the mechanism(s) by which HN/H/G couples receptor binding to F-triggering, since different attachment proteins possess special triggering process. In this review, we summarize the general property and distinction of the fusion process during paramyxoviral infection for further research on the pathogenic mechanism.