A collaboration between researchers at the Center for Virology of the Medical University of Vienna and the Pasteur Institute in Paris has provided unexpected insights into the atomic interactions of the tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus in infected cells. In particular, the researchers identified a new molecular switch that is used to control the processes of virus assembly, virus maturation and entry into new cells. Because of their close relationship and structural homology, the insights gained from the TBE virus model are valid for all flaviviruses, including several major mosquito-borne viruses (e.g., dengue, yellow fever, Zika, Japanese encephalitis and West Nile virus). The research results were recently published in Nature Communications.
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Source: Phys.org