Poliovirus

Poliovirus is the etiologic agent of poliomyelitis, a human disease of the central nervous system.  Infection by poliovirus is initiated by attachment to specific cell surface molecules or receptors.  The poliovirus receptor is CD155.  The normal function of this molecule on the host cell is unknown.  The top image is of native poliovirus.  The bottom image has native poliovirus on the right and the complex of the virus and 60 copies of CD155 bound to it on the left.  The background of the image is the actual micrograph that was used to calculate the reconstruction of the complex and the faint dark spots are images of the individual virions.

He, Y., V. D. Bowman, S Mueller, C. M. Bator, J. Bella, X. Peng, T. S. Baker, E. Wimmer, R. J. Kuhn, and M. G. Rossmann.  2000.  Interaction of the poliovirus receptor with poliovirus.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 97:79-84. 

Back to Picornaviruses Menu

Last edited January 04, 2001