Biophysical Society Conference | Tahoe 2022

Molecular Biophysics of Membranes

Poster Abstracts

36-POS Board 9 BIOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE MEMBRANE BINDING AND FUSION MECHANISMS OF SENDAI VIRUS WITH MODEL LIPID MEMBRANES Amy Lam 1 ; Abraham Park 1 ; Robert J Rawle 1 ; 1 Williams College, Chemistry, Williamstown, MA, USA For all membrane-enveloped viruses, the first steps in infection are 1) binding of the virus to a receptor in the host cell membrane, and 2) virus-catalyzed fusion between the viral and host membranes. Both of these steps are mediated by viral glycoproteins, associated with or embedded in the viral membrane, but the role of the host cell membrane(s) involved in these steps are also important determinants of whether or not productive infection will occur. Here, we discuss mechanistic investigations into membrane binding and fusion of Sendai virus (SeV), the prototypical paramyxovirus, focusing on the influence of the target membrane and membrane receptor. To do this, we ask biophysical questions by observing interactions between individual SeV particles and model lipid membranes by fluorescence microscopy. We investigate the influence of the chemical structure of the ganglioside receptor on SeV membrane binding, and present support for a cooperative binding mechanism. We study the influence of cholesterol- mediated nano-cluster receptor formation on viral binding, and perform a comparative analysis with influenza A virus, which indicates that viral size may modulate the role that receptor nano- clusters can play in the viral binding step. We also present preliminary data on single virus fusion measurements of SeV, and discuss the biophysical implications of those results.

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