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Influenza Virus
Pandemics Past and Future.
Peter Palese, Department
of Microbiology,
Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai, in New York.
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This slide shows an electron
micrograph of an influenza virus.
On the inside we can see the
electron dense spots, which reflect
the RNA, the genome
of influenza viruses.
And we have, actually, eight
RNA segments, one in the middle
and seven RNA segments around
this central electron-dense spot.
So the virus codes for eight
different RNA segments, which in
turn code for at least 11
different viral proteins.
The virus is then also characterized
by a lipid membrane, which
is derived from the host
cell and has a function which
is important for the
attachment and then
for the fusion of the viral
membrane with the host,
and therefore the virus
can get into the cell.
And then, very important
on the outside,
there is the hemagglutinin
and the neuraminidase.
And they are referred
to as H1 and N1,
which are the placard proteins,
the surface proteins on the virus
which, actually, are recognized
by our immune system.
There are many different
hemagglutinin subtypes
and there are many different
neuraminidase subtypes in terms
of influenza viruses
from different sources.