Respiratory virus surface proteins and extracellular virions

Extracellular virions and surface proteins of respiratory viruses represent the primary interface between the pathogen and the host's respiratory epithelium. These targets include critical glycoproteins such as the Spike (S) protein of Coronaviruses, Hemagglutinin (HA) and Neuraminidase (NA) of Influenza viruses, and the Fusion (F) and Attachment (G) proteins of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) (V'kovski et al., 2021; McLellan et al., 2013). Their primary biological function is to facilitate viral attachment to host cell receptors and mediate the fusion of viral and cellular membranes, allowing the viral genome to enter the cytoplasm (Gamblin & Skehel, 2010). Because these proteins are exposed on the exterior of the virion, they are the principal targets for the host immune system and therapeutic interventions, including vaccines and monoclonal antibodies. Drugs targeting these components typically work by neutralizing the virus, thereby preventing infection of new cells and reducing the overall viral load (FDA, 2023). However, the high mutation rates of many respiratory viruses, particularly RNA viruses, often lead to antigenic drift, necessitating the constant development of new therapeutics to counter viral escape (Harvey et al., 2021).

Other names

Viral surface antigensRespiratory viral envelope proteinsExtracellular viral particlesViral attachment proteins

Neutralization of extracellular virions by binding to surface glycoproteins, thereby inhibiting viral attachment to host receptors, preventing membrane fusion, or blocking the release of new virions from the host cell surface.