Structural highlights
Function
[VGLB_EBV] Envelope glycoprotein that forms spikes at the surface of virion envelope. Involved in fusion of viral and cellular membranes leading to virus entry into the host cell. Following initial binding of gp350/220 to its receptor, membrane fusion is mediated by the fusion machinery composed at least of gB and the heterodimer gH/gL. May also be involved in the fusion between the virion envelope and the outer nuclear membrane during virion morphogenesis (By similarity).
Evolutionary Conservation
Check, as determined by ConSurfDB. You may read the explanation of the method and the full data available from ConSurf.
Publication Abstract from PubMed
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a herpesvirus that is associated with development of malignancies of lymphoid tissue. EBV infections are life-long and occur in >90% of the population. Herpesviruses enter host cells in a process that involves fusion of viral and cellular membranes. The fusion apparatus is comprised of envelope glycoprotein B (gB) and a heterodimeric complex made of glycoproteins H and L. Glycoprotein B is the most conserved envelope glycoprotein in human herpesviruses, and the structure of gB from Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) is available. Here, we report the crystal structure of the secreted EBV gB ectodomain, which forms 16-nm long spike-like trimers, structurally homologous to the postfusion trimers of the fusion protein G of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). Comparative structural analyses of EBV gB and VSV G, which has been solved in its pre and postfusion states, shed light on gB residues that may be involved in conformational changes and membrane fusion. Also, the EBV gB structure reveals that, despite the high sequence conservation of gB in herpesviruses, the relative orientations of individual domains, the surface charge distributions, and the structural details of EBV gB differ from the HSV-1 protein, indicating regions and residues that may have important roles in virus-specific entry.
Structure of a trimeric variant of the Epstein-Barr virus glycoprotein B.,Backovic M, Longnecker R, Jardetzky TS Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Feb 24;106(8):2880-5. Epub 2009 Feb 5. PMID:19196955[1]
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
References
- ↑ Backovic M, Longnecker R, Jardetzky TS. Structure of a trimeric variant of the Epstein-Barr virus glycoprotein B. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Feb 24;106(8):2880-5. Epub 2009 Feb 5. PMID:19196955 doi:http://dx.doi.org/0810530106
