What is hemaglutinin with flu?

Influenza is a disease caused by influenza virus. Viruses are well -known red blood cell agglutinates, which means that cells are clustering together. Hemaglutinin with influenza (HA) is attached to the surface of the influenza virus and is responsible for the binding of the virus to the host cell.

Every virus of influenza has a receptor complex composed of influenza hemaglutinin and neuraminidase (NA). While haemaglutinin allows the virus to anchor and enter the host cell, neuraminidase obtains a reproduced virus from the cell, so it can infect another. Each type of flu has haemaglutinin and a combination of neuraminidase specific to this type.

Hemaglutinin is a trimer protein; It consists of three regions. Hemaglutinin with influenza consists of monomers called Ha1, HA2 and HA3. They are arranged in two domains called globular domain and STEM domain. Slight differences in the STEM domain structure create different types of hemaglutinin.

There are 16 types of hemaglutinin influenza. Each type is namedwith the letter "H", followed by a number. Similarly, there are nine known neuraminidases named with the letter "N" followed by the number. H1, H2 and H3 can be paired with N1 or N2 in humans. Various trunks of influenza virus are named for their combinations of hemagglutanine and neuraminidases such as H1N1.

The combination of influenza and neuraminidase influenza determines the severity of a particular flu tribe. H5N1, also known as bird or bird flu, is a particularly fatal tension of the disease, because H5 Hemaglutinin usually does not occur in humans. The H5N1 strain must first mutate one amino acid in its protein before it can integrate into human cells. Once a person is infected with H5N1, the disease quickly takes over and can be fatal.

Scientists believe for the treatment of influenza is to find out how to block influenza hemaglutinin from custody to the host cell. Because hemaglutinin is responsible for the virus to get intoHealthy cells, in the fight against the disease creates a potential goal. Vaccines can be made for blocking influenza hemaglutinin from binding to cellular receptor, which prevents the virus impossible to attack the cell.

Some types of antibodies are slightly successful in inhibiting influenza hemaglutinin from binding to cell. These neutralization antibodies work in one of two ways. Several antibodies can connect to the STEM domain and prevent the virus from joining the cell membrane where it enters. Most neutralizing antibodies bind to a globular domain and block interaction with a cellular receptor.