Abstract

The matrix protein 2 of the influenza A virus (M2 or AM2) is one of the important components of the viral membrane. This protein can form a proton channel in the viral envelope. Owing to its ability to regulate the surrounding pH in endosome, this protein is an attractive target for drug design against influenza A virus. In this minireview, we summarized the current progresses in computational approaches for studying the M2 proton channel. The attention is focused on how protons are conducted through the M2 channel, and how adamantane-based drugs inhibit the channel, as well as how the drug resistance occurs, in hope to further stimulate the in-depth studies of this important area, both experimentally and theoretically.

Keywords: Influenza A virus, M2 proton channel, molecular modeling, molecular dynamics, proton conductance, drug binding site, drug inhibition, drug resistance.