Flu viruses package essential functions into a small integral membrane protein known as M2. Such small membrane proteins represent major challenges for structural biology. A new study presented in this issue details the structure and functions of the influenza B M2 protein through the use of functional domain–specific solution NMR spectroscopy.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to thank H.-X. Zhou for helpful discussions. Research in the Cross lab on membrane proteins is supported by grants from the US National Institutes of Health (R01 AI-023007, R01 AI-073891 and P01 AI-074805), and the spectroscopy is conducted at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory supported by Cooperative Agreement 0654118 though the Division of Materials Research at the National Science Foundation and the State of Florida.
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Cross, T. Flu BM2 structure and function. Nat Struct Mol Biol 16, 1207–1209 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb1209-1207
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb1209-1207
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