Fusion glycoprotein F0

Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) is the most common etiological agent of acute lower respiratory tract disease in infants and can cause repeated infections throughout life. The RSV fusion glycoprotein (RSV F) is the principal target of RSV neutralizing antibodies in human sera. The RSV F is a type I viral fusion protein synthesized as inactive, single-chain polypeptides that assemble into trimers. RSV F fuses the viral and host cell membranes by irreversible protein refolding from the labile prefusion conformation to the stable post-fusion conformation. Both states exhibit epitopes targeted by neutralizing antibodies, and post-fusion RSV F is being developed as a vaccine candidate.