Spike protein
A short structure attached to an icosahedral virion capsid, and used for attachment to the host cell.
A Spike protein or peplomer is a glycoprotein spike on the outside layer (or capsid) of a virus.[1] When a virus attaches to a cell, these peplomers can only attach to certain receptors on the cell. They are very important for choosing which cell it attaches to and how infectious a virus is.
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- ↑ Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary (3rd ed.). Elsevier, Inc. 2007. as cited in "peplomer". The Free Dictionary. Farlex. 2011. Retrieved 30 Mar 2011.
