Tracking the deadly influenza virus

Haemagglutinin (HA) is one of the two surface proteins of the influenza virus.
It is responsible for mediating virus binding to the surface of target cells like those on the respiratory surface of humans. When exploring the 3D structure, scientists found similarities between the avian precursor HA and the HA of the virus that infected the human population in 1918, causing 20 million deaths.

A ribbons representation of the trimer of 1918 haemagglutinin (Image credit: S.J. Gamblin, copyright 2004 S.J. Gamblin.).

Further information:

• The Structure and Receptor Binding Properties of the 1918 Influenza Haemagglutinin

• Ref.: S.J. Gamblin et al., Science 303, 1838-1842 (2004).