Temperature dependent conformational change of dengue virus

Dengue virus is the causative agent of dengue virus fever. It infects about 400 million people per year and leads to about 21,000 deaths annually. There is available neither a fully successful vaccine nor a successful drug therapy. Some dengue virus serotypes undergo a temperature dependent conformational change from a ‘smooth’ form at lower temperatures to a ‘bumpy’ form at temperatures approaching 37°C, the human body temperature. The bumpy structure is less stable and is probably an intermediate in the formation of a fusogenic virus particle.