Scientists have found a new way in which Ebola reproduces in the human body, identifying a potential target for drugs to prevent the viral disease.
The study also sheds light on how the deadly virus that affects people mostly in sub-Saharan Africa interacts with a human protein called ubiquitin.
“We used a combination of experimental and computational (using computers) methods to investigate the interaction between the Ebola virus VP35 protein and ubiquitin chains,” said study co-author Rafael Najmanovich, a professor at the University of Montreal in Canada.
“Advanced computational modeling by our team predicted the binding interface between a viral protein, VP35, and the ubiquitin chains in human cells, and identified potential chemical compounds that could disrupt this interaction,” he said.