Researchers find new influenza target

The research offers evidence of a potential drug target in a flu protein called nucleoprotein, or NP. The nucleoprotein is found in strains of the virus that cause bird flu as well as the common influenza virus.

The findings are based on experiments that revealed the atomic structure of NP and the discovered target is found in the tail of the protein. Changes made to this tail can stop the protein from working.

“We know from previous genetic studies that this tail loop is almost identical across strains of influenza A, so drugs that target the tail have a high potential of being effective against multiple strains, including the H5N1 strains,” said lead researcher Jane Tao, assistant professor in biochemistry and cell biology.

One of the nucleoprotein’s main functions is structural. The NPs come together in small rings as building blocks. Many NP rings stack one atop the other in a slightly off-registered fashion, forming long helical-shaped columns. The virus’s RNA genome is twisted around this column and shipped out to infect other cells.

Researchers found that a mutation in the tail of the nucleoprotein was enough to prevent the NPs from coming together to form the building blocks for the columns, and without these columns the virus cannot make copies and infect other cells.

The research will be useful as new antivirals are needed because current strains of H5N1 are becoming resistant to the influenza vaccine Tamiflu.