Influenza A virus matrix protein

Abstract

Influenza Virus Influenza spreads in seasonal outbreaks that result in hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide. The culprit, influenza A virus, has occasionally caused historic pandemics such as the 1918 flu pandemic, which killed tens of millions of people in 2 years. Despite more than a century of study, we still do not have a clear picture of many components of the virus, including the matrix protein M1, which is one of its most abundant proteins. Selzer et al. provide a high-resolution structure of M1 in a single-layered assembly using cryo–electron microscopy. The study offers new insight into the role of the matrix protein in maintaining the integrity of the influenza virus and may help in the development of new antivirals targeting the matrix layer of the virus. PLOS Biol. 18 , e3000827 (2020).