USAMRIID scientists help identify key hantavirus receptor

(US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases) A global team of investigators has identified a key protein involved in Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), a serious and sometimes fatal respiratory disease, according to research published today in Nature. The cell-surface receptor protein protocadherin-1 (PCDH1), commonly associated with human asthma, is responsible for facilitating lung cell infection and triggering HPS. Discovery of the cellular receptor for hantaviruses allows for rational and logical drug and antibody design to prevent the virus from infecting lung tissue.
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news