Researchers gain insight into protein critical to Zika virus reproduction
(PHYSorg.com Chemistry)

Zika virus is a mosquito-borne infectious disease linked to certain birth defects in infants in South and Central America and the United States. A Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) researcher, Banumathi Sankaran, worked as part of a multi-institutional team to map a key viral protein called NS5. Necessary to virus reproduction, NS5 contains two enzyme activities: one reduces the body`s ability to mount an immune response against infection and the other helps start the genetic replication process. The work was led by Indiana University`s Cheng Kao and Pingwei Li at Texas A&M University (TAMU).