How do zinc ions affect influenza A virus (IAV) hemagglutinin function and virus infectivity?
Label:chem
Topic
IAV infection begins when the hemagglutinin (HA) protein on the viral surface binds to host sialic-acid receptors. Inactivation strategies that block this interaction could prevent infection.
Answer
Zinc ions rapidly (≤1 min) and irreversibly inactivate IAV HA, preventing hemagglutination and receptor binding in a concentration-dependent manner (IC₅₀ ≈ 5 mM). The effect is retained for ≥24 h after zinc removal and is stable from 4 °C to 37 °C. Importantly, six serial passages of virus in the presence of zinc did not select for resistant mutants, indicating a low resistance potential.
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