Bird Flu's long tail could signal its end
US scientists map the long protein tail of the influenza A virus
Influenza A viruses, which include common flu and avian influenza, have a long protein tail. Now, US scientists have obtained an atom-by-atom crystallographic structure of this component, which could provide a new target for antiviral drugs to tackle the disease.1
Jane Tao and colleagues at Rice University in Houston, working with Robert Krug's team at the University of Texas at Austin, used X-ray crystallography to show that even small changes in the structure of the long, flexible tail of the influenza virus' nucleoprotein will prevent the virus from replicating.
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