FIGURE 6.

Proposed infection model of LASV. LASV can enter the target cell via endocytosis, including macropinocytosis, and membrane fusion at low pH. HR2-peptides or their analogs, if they can enter the endosomal compartment inside the host cell, can interact with the HR1 domain in viral GP2 and block the 6-HB formation, thereby inhibiting membrane fusion at low pH. Their fusion inhibitory activity can be assessed using the LASV GPC protein-mediated cell–cell fusion assay under low pH condition (Figure 5B).