The structure of the Zika virus has been established
Oleg Lischuk, N+1 based on Purdue University: Researchers reveal Zika virus structure, a critical advance in the development of treatments
The structure of the Zika virus
Purdue University researchers have established the exact structure of the Zika virus. Its detailed description is published in the journal Science (Sirohi et al., The 3.8 Å resolution cryo-EM structure of Zika virus).
In their work, the scientists did not use the traditional technique of X-ray crystallography, which requires a relatively large number of viral particles, but cryo-electron microscopy, which allowed them to examine the structure of the virus with a resolution of 3.8 angstroms. The source of the biomaterial was a patient from French Polynesia.
Like other flaviviruses, Zika contains a lipid membrane-covered RNA of about 11 thousand nucleotides, which is located inside a protein shell in the form of an icosahedron. The virus consists of 180 copies of a shell protein (E) of about 500 amino acids and either membrane (M, about 75 amino acids) or precursor membrane (prM, about 165 amino acids) proteins. The viral genome also encodes seven non-structural proteins that ensure the replication and assembly of the virion and counteract the innate immunity of the host organism.
The Zika virus shows the greatest structural similarity with the pathogens of dengue and West Nile fevers. The main difference between viruses lies in the glycosylation site of the envelope protein (through which the virus binds to the infected cell), which in Zika is located in the Asn154 position.
According to researcher Michael Rossmann, clarifying the structure of the glycosylation site is especially important because it serves as the most promising target for the development of antiviral drugs.
The current epidemic of Zika fever began in March 2015 in Brazil and has now covered 33 countries. The fever itself in most cases proceeds relatively easily or asymptomatically, but pregnant women who have undergone it often have children with microcephaly (congenital underdevelopment of the skull and brain). According to the forecasts of the Pan American Health Organization, the infection will spread to all American countries except Canada and Chile; Asia and Africa are also under threat.
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