Newcastle disease virus fusion glycoprotein (NDV-F)

The Newcastle disease virus fusion glycoprotein (NDV-F) is a critical Class I viral fusion protein located on the envelope of the Newcastle disease virus (NDV), a member of the Paramyxoviridae family (UniProt: P04845). It is synthesized as an inactive precursor, F0, which requires proteolytic cleavage by host cell proteases into F1 and F2 subunits to achieve fusion competence (PubMed: 10482571). The primary function of NDV-F is to facilitate the fusion of the viral envelope with the host cell plasma membrane, a process typically triggered by the viral hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) protein (PubMed: 15220450). In its natural avian hosts, NDV-F is the primary determinant of viral virulence and a major target for vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies (NIH: PMC7113790). In human medicine, NDV-F is a focal point in oncolytic virotherapy, as NDV naturally exhibits tumor-selective replication and cell-killing properties (PubMed: 26154924). Therapeutic interventions targeting NDV-F include live-attenuated and recombinant vaccines for poultry, as well as experimental fusion inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies for potential human applications (PubMed: 31434738).

Other names

Fusion proteinF proteinNDV-F proteinFusion glycoprotein

Mediates viral-to-cell membrane fusion through a conformational change from a metastable pre-fusion state to a stable post-fusion state (PubMed: 15220450); targeted by vaccines to elicit neutralizing antibodies that block this transition or by fusion inhibitors that bind to the heptad repeat regions (PubMed: 21835161).