Enabling the 'host jump': structural determinants of receptor-binding specificity in influenza A viruses

The recent emergence of the H7N9 avian influenza A virus and its ability to infect humans emphasize the epidemic and pandemic potential of these viruses. Interspecies transmission is the result of many factors, which ultimately lead to a change in the host tropism of the virus. One of the key factors involved is a shift in the receptor-binding specificity of the virus, which is mostly determined by mutations in the viral haemagglutinin (HA). In this Review, we discuss recent crystallographic studies that provide molecular insights into HA–host receptor interactions that have enabled several influenza A virus subtypes to 'jump' from avian to human hosts.

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