Structural bioinformatics analysis of antigenic changes in influenza virus hemagglutinin

甲型流感病毒的血凝素（HA）经历抗原性变化以逃避抗体介导的免疫压力。为了控制流感，重要的是要了解过去的氨基酸取代模式，然后预测未来HA分子可能的抗原性变化。本研究利用结构生物信息学方法，分析了流感病毒在人群中进化过程中HA抗原结构的变化。基于这些结果，我们预测了可能与2009 H1N1未来抗原性变化相关的氨基酸替换。

The hemagglutinin (HA) of influenza A viruses undergoes antigenic changes to escape from antibody-mediated immune pressure. In order to control for influenza, it is important to understand the patterns of amino acid substitutions in the past and then to predict possible antigenic changes of the HA molecules in future. In this study, we analyzed the change of HA antigenic structures in the evolutionary process of influenza viruses in the human population, by using structural bioinformatics approach. Based on the results, we predicted possible amino acid substitutions that might be associated with future antigenic change of 2009 H1N1.