Colocalization of Hemagglutinin and Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate in the Cell Membrane During Influenza Infection
Abstract
Influenza is a viral disease that affects millions of people each year, killing many old and young people due to their compromised immune systems. Despite affecting so many people, there are few current treatments for influenza. A better understanding of influenza infection and how the virus organizes itself within infected cells can help identify targets for new medicines. The influenza protein, hemagglutinin (HA), clusters in the cell membrane of infected cells and offers a potential drug target. However the mechanism through which HA forms and maintains clusters remains largely unknown. Recently, the phospholipid, phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2), has been implicated in influenza infection across a variety of studies. Diffraction-limited confocal microscopy has also suggested that HA and PIP2 colocalize within the cell membrane during influenza infection. This thesis further explores the interaction between HA and PIP2 at the cell membrane using FPALM super-resolution microscopy, confirming that HA and PIP2 colocalize at length scales below the diffraction limit.