How does poxvirus turn genes into proteins?

The last smallpox case in the world occurred in Somalia in October 1977

However, although this means that poxviruses are no longer a direct threat to humans, this family of viruses still arouses great interest among scientists

Smallpox virus has its own reproduction machine

Many viruses mainly rely on the biochemical resources of the host cell to proliferate, and poxviruses encode their own molecular mechanisms in the genome for this purpose

A team of researchers from the Biology Center of Julius-Maximilian's University at Würzburg University (JMU) is now able to observe the polymerase of the vaccinia virus at the atomic level for the first time

Three-dimensional structure on the atomic scale

"We mix the isolated RNA polymerase with a DNA fragment containing a promoter.

They are passionate about the end result of this long process

Smallpox is still a threat to mankind

However, if this virus that is so dangerous to humans has been eradicated, why bother to study poxvirus? There are good reasons.

Biochemist Fischer explained that another potentially more real threat is zoonotic diseases caused by the transmission of animal-specific viruses to humans

Using computers to develop new drugs

Therefore, viral gene expression inhibitors are highly related to antiviral drugs

About variola virus

Smallpox vaccination is one of the most significant successes of modern infection protection

As early as in ancient times, people have known various forms of inoculation.

The strain used by Jenner has been named vaccinia in medical history

###

Nature Structural & Molecular Biology

DOI

s41594-021-00655-w