News Releases & Research Results Discovery of the structural change of norovirus particles before infection: A significant advance in the elucidation of the mechanism underlying norovirus infection, which should facilitate the development of novel therapeutic drugs and vaccines

The results of collaborative research conducted by Associate Professor Kazuyoshi Murata and Specially Appointed Assistant Professor Chihong Song of the National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Professor Kazuhiko Katayama of Kitasato University, and others.

• The research group discovered that a norovirus has two types of structure, between which switching occurs to infect cells.
• Specifically, structural analysis using cryo-electron microscopy showed that murine norovirus of the same species has two types of particle structure between which switching occurs according to aqueous conditions and the concentration of metal ions such as calcium.
• The results of research have contributed to the elucidation of the mechanism underlying norovirus infection and could lead to the development of novel therapeutic drugs and vaccines.

This research project was conducted with the support of the Research Program on Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases and the Basis for Supporting Innovative Drug Discovery and Life Science Research (BINDS) by AMED.

The results of research were published online in PLOS Pathogens, an American medical journal, on July 3.

Chihong Song., et al. Dynamic rotation of the protruding domain enhances the infectivity of norovirus PLOS Pathogens
DOI：10.1371/journal.ppat.1008619