M1 protein
| Flu_M1 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OPM superfamily | 42 | ||||||||
| OPM protein | 1aa7 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
The M1 protein is a
matrix protein of the influenza virus. It forms a coat inside the viral envelope. This is a bifunctional membrane/RNA-binding protein that mediates the encapsidation of nucleoprotein cores into the membrane envelope. It is therefore required that M1 binds both membrane and RNA simultaneously.[1]
The M1 protein binds to the viral
RNA. The binding is not specific to any RNA sequence, and is performed via a peptide sequence rich in basic amino acids.[citation needed
]
It also has multiple regulatory functions, performed by interaction with the components of the host cell. The mechanisms regulated include a role in the export of the viral
transcription, and a role in the virus assembly and budding. The protein was found to undergo phosphorylation in the host cell.[citation needed
]
The M1 protein forms a layer under the patches of host cell membrane that are rich with the viral
]M1 consists of two
structure that can be divided into two subdomains.[2] The C-terminal domain also contains alpha-helical structure
.