ArticleNature microbiology2021
The shape of pleomorphic virions determines resistance to cell-entry pressure.
Article in Nature microbiology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers.
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Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed.
- An Inverse Transwell Assay for Airway Mucus Barrier Function Reveals both Virus- and Mucin-Specific Impacts on Infection.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Cryo-electron tomography of Nipah virus structural protein complexes in virus-like particles.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Filamentous morphology of influenza A virus confers enhanced stability in aerosols.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Unmasking complex kinetics in viral entry by inferring hypoexponential models.Biophysical journal · 2025Article
- Human metapneumovirus: understanding the molecular mechanisms and pathology of infection.Journal of virology · 2025Review
- Article
- Implications of morphological variation in influenza viruses.Microbiology and molecular biology reviews : MMBR · 2025Review
- Influenza filaments: a graveyard of postdocs no longer?The EMBO journal · 2025Article
- Morphology-dependent entry kinetics and spread of influenza A virus.The EMBO journal · 2025Article
- Induction of tunnelling nanotube-like structures by influenza A viruses requires the onset of apoptosis.PLoS pathogens · 2025Article
- Impact of inactivated vaccine on transmission and evolution of H9N2 avian influenza virus in chickens.NPJ vaccines · 2025Article
- Investigating the potential of oncolytic viruses in the treatment of melanoma: where do we go from here?Skin health and disease · 2025Review
- Influenza A virus rapidly adapts particle shape to environmental pressures.Nature microbiology · 2025Article
- Article
- Structural Heterogeneity of the Rabies Virus Virion.Viruses · 2024Article
- N-Substituted Pyrrole-Based Heterocycles as Broad-Spectrum Filoviral Entry Inhibitors.Journal of medicinal chemistry · 2024Article
- Reply to Lipsitch et al., "Public role in research oversight".Journal of virology · 2024Article
- Antibody inhibition of influenza A virus assembly and release.Journal of virology · 2024Article
- Nanoparticles exhibiting virus-mimic surface topology for enhanced oral delivery.Nature communications · 2023Article
- The effect of random virus failure following cell entry on infection outcome and the success of antiviral therapy.Scientific reports · 2023Article
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7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Many enveloped animal viruses produce a variety of particle shapes, ranging from small spherical to long filamentous types. Characterization of how the shape of the virion affects infectivity has been difficult because the shape is only partially genetically encoded, and most pleomorphic virus structures have no selective advantage in vitro. Here, we apply virus fractionation using low-force sedimentation, as well as antibody neutralization coupled with RNAScope, single-particle membrane fusion experiments and stochastic simulations to evaluate the effects of differently shaped influenza A viruses and influenza viruses pseudotyped with Ebola glycoprotein on the infection of cells. Our results reveal that the shape of the virus particles determines the probability of both virus attachment and membrane fusion when viral glycoprotein activity is compromised. The larger contact interface between a cell and a larger particle offers a greater probability that several active glycoproteins are adjacent to each other and can cooperate to induce membrane merger. Particles with a length of tens of micrometres can fuse even when 95% of the glycoproteins are inactivated. We hypothesize that non-genetically encoded variable particle shapes enable pleomorphic viruses to overcome selective pressure and may enable adaptation to infection of cells by emerging viruses such as Ebola. Our results suggest that therapeutics targeting filamentous virus particles could overcome antiviral drug resistance and immune evasion in pleomorphic viruses.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.