Professor Yingfang Liu and Professor Zihe Rao’s groups recently determined the crystal structure of the avian H5N1 influenza virus RNA polymerase subunit PA (PAC) in complex with PB1 peptide (PB1N). This structure showed details of the binding of PB1N to PAC, revealing a potential target for novel anti-influenza therapeutics as well as the potential role of PA in viral replication and transcription. This is a breakthrough for scientists, allowing further investigation of the function of the influenza virus polymerase and design of new drugs against flu polymerase.

This work was published on Nature (2008,454, pp1029-1150)