Peplomer

As peplomer (from Greek πέπλος, peplos for garment, blanket ) is called outwardly projecting protein structures in a viral envelope that are visible at a elektronenmikoskopischen figure. The term is now rarely used and no longer used for all outwardly envelope proteins, it is mostly due to the less precise expression of the "spikes" (English for thorn, prickle ) replaced. This can, however, assume a pointed structure, which is not the case with the above-mentioned shell structures; they are outside round, flattened or button- shaped. Both terms, peplomer and spikes, but only describe a morphologically visible structure and are not identical with the expression of membrane protein or coat protein; many other membrane proteins in viruses do not form from these prominent structures.

Peplomere are composed of viral membrane proteins that are anchored to a protein domain in the lipid membrane ( Transmembrane domain). A further domain projecting outward and is usually glycosylated by the binding of different sugar residues. This external domain of Peplomere mediates the binding to the surface receptors of the target cell and hence entry of the virus into the cell. Also define the epitopes of the outer Peplomere serological properties of the virus and interact with antibodies of the host. A peplomer can be composed of single or dimers or trimers annealed membrane proteins, the subunits are identical ( homomer ) or different ( heteromer ) can be. The composition of a peplomer can be represented formalized, for example a simple homodimer of two different envelope proteins E1 and E2, to write a [ E1, E2 ], this dimer occur again larger groups, such as trimers together this is formalized [ E1, E2 ] 3 A peplomer of the formula [ E1, E2, E3 ] 2 would be mounted on two co- trimers of three different coat proteins, which together form a hexamer.

Today, the term is most often used peplomer only a few virus groups in which the envelope proteins particularly large and characteristic structures form, for example in the Orthomyxoviridae and the Coronaviridae.

Swell

• F. Fenner et al.: The Biology of Animal Viruses, 2nd edition, New York, London 1968 ISBN 0-12-253040-3 pp. 5
• DJ Garwes et al.: Identification of epitopes of immunological, importance on the peplomer of porcine transmissible gastroenteritis virus. Adv Exp Med Biol (1987) 218 ​​: pp. 509-515 PMID 2449047
• HG Niesters et al. Peplomer The protein sequence of the M41 strain of coronavirus IBV and its comparison with Beaudette strains. Virus Res (1986 ) 5 ( 2-3): pp. 253-263 PMID 2429473

• Virology