Researchers from the USA, China and Singapore have characterised the structure of one of the most important protein complexes of the H5N1 virus - which causes bird flu.
All viruses, including H5N1, contain only a small number of proteins that govern all of the viruses' functions. In H5N1, perhaps the most important of these proteins is RNA polymerase, which contains the instructions that allows the virus to copy itself along with all of its genetic material. The Argonne study focused on H5N1's RNA polymerase protein, which contains three subunits: PA, PB1 and PB2. Researchers found that all three subunits assemble themselves in a particular configuration. If a way could be found to disrupt this organisation, it could lead to a cure for infection with this virus.
