Design and antiviral properties of influenza virus neuraminidase inhibitors

Abstract

During the infection cycle of influenza virus, progeny virions bud from the plasma membrane of infected cells. At that point they are potentially immobilised because of interactions between the viral haemagglutinin and sialic acid which is found in glycoconjugates on the cell surface and on glycoproteins of the virus itself. Neuraminidase inhibitors might therefore be expected to have an antiviral action by slowing release and subsequently reducing the viral burden in infected hosts. The three-dimensional structure of the influenza virus neuraminidase has been determined by X-ray crystallography to high resolution. The structure demonstrates that strain variation has not yet been observed to..