Skip to main content
. 2013 Jul 29;110(33):13362–13367. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1301911110

Fig. 6.

Fig. 6.

Model of the early molecular events during alphavirus membrane fusion. (A) When no target membrane is nearby, the molecular organization of the alphavirus E1 and E2 glycoproteins at pH 6.4 is similar to that at neutral pH. (B) A target membrane prompts dissociation of the E1–E2 heterodimer. The fusion loop of extended E1 inserts itself into the target membrane while the E2 proteins remain in their original trimeric conformation. (C) Upon further reduction in pH, the E2 trimers dissociate, enabling formation of the E1 trimers.