PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have learned the structure of a smallpox virus enzyme and how it binds to DNA -- a finding that may lead to new ways to fight smallpox.
The researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine say the enzyme, called a topoisomerase, is one of the most closely studied DNA-modifying enzymes in biology.
"The structure of the DNA complex has been long-awaited," said Frederic Bushman, professor of microbiology and one of the study's senior authors.
DNA-modifying enzymes bind to specific sequences in the genetic code to aid in the many steps of DNA replication.
The smallpox virus is one of the most easily transmissible infectious diseases known to humans, resulting in up to 30 percent mortality. The efficiency with which it spreads, combined with the deadly nature of the disease, has raised fears that smallpox could be revived for use in bioterrorism.
The structure was determined in a collaborative effort between Bushman and the other senior author, Gregory Van Duyne, professor of biochemistry and biophysics and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
The researchers present their findings in the journal Molecular Cell.
