Abstract
Melinda A. Brindley works in the field of virology with specific interests in understanding how viruses enter cells. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how the paper "Vaccinia virus uses macropinocytosis and apoptotic mimicry to enter host cells" by J. Mercer and A. Helenius (Science 320:531-535, 2008, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1155164) made an impact on her by expanding our understanding of virus-host interactions and virus-cell binding.
Highlights
In my career, I was following up on a study that suggested the Tyro3, Axl, Mer (TAM) family members facilitated Ebola virus entry into cells (1)
The first viral apoptotic mimicry papers changed the way scientists think about virus-cell interactions, as they demonstrate that not all viruses require a specific lockand-key binding event between the viral glycoprotein and cellular receptor for internalization
The classic paradigm of viral glycoprotein interacting with a cellular protein at a specific interface enables one to explore and characterize the interface in a pure system, frequently using purified soluble forms of both proteins
Summary
I was following up on a study that suggested the Tyro3, Axl, Mer (TAM) family members facilitated Ebola virus entry into cells (1). The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of the journal or of ASM. Commentary in a manner similar to apoptotic debris and that the phosphatidylserine in the viral membrane mediates binding and internalization. The first viral apoptotic mimicry papers changed the way scientists think about virus-cell interactions, as they demonstrate that not all viruses require a specific lockand-key binding event between the viral glycoprotein and cellular receptor for internalization.
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