Viral Voyages

Structural Biologist Mavis Agbandje-McKenna:

Understanding Viruses

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Mavis Agbandje-McKenna
Closes in on Viruses

Viruses

• Range from harmless to deadly

• Can change from harmless to deadly

• Need carbohydrates to enter cells

Question:

What is another name for carbohydrates?

Structural biologist Agbandje-McKenna

wants to solve the mysteries of how

viruses hop from one host to another.

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Answer: Glycans

Carbohydrates: essential for many biological processes

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Gripping Glycans

• Most cells have carbohydrates (glycans) on their outer surfaces

• Influenza A virus infects cells by attaching to glycans on host cells

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Visualizing Viruses

• Outer layer (capsid protein) of MVM resembles 20-sided soccer ball

• MVM capsid protein contains cavity it uses to recognize and bind specific glycans

3-dimensional crystal structure showing surface of usually mild strain of minute virus of mice (MVMp)

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Unraveling Viral Mysteries Step-By-Step

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Solving Viral Mystery #1

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Solving Viral Mystery #2

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Poultry, People, and a Possible Pandemic

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Glycobiology and Pandemics

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Research Applications

In what ways might Agbandje-McKenna's research about how viruses infect cells be applied to help patients with cancer?