Structural and dynamic mechanisms for the function and inhibition of the M2 proton channel from influenza A virus.

The M2 proton channel from influenza A virus, a prototype for a class of viral ion channels known as viroporins, conducts protons along a chain of water molecules and ionizable sidechains, including His37. Recent studies highlight a delicate interplay between protein folding, proton binding, and proton conduction through the channel. Drugs inhibit proton conduction by binding to an aqueous cavity adjacent to M2's proton-selective filter, thereby blocking access of proton to the filter, and altering the energetic landscape of the channel and the energetics of proton-binding to His37.