"If scientists could prevent that interaction from occurring, either by a drug or genetic engineering techniques, we could eliminate a large percentage of colds in humans without interfering with the normal function of the ICAM-1 receptor," he says.
However, such an advancement would not eliminate all colds. Rhinovirus 16, the cold virus used in the study, comes from a virus family that causes up to 70 percent of colds in humans. The remaining 30 percent of colds are caused by viruses that use other means of infecting cells, Bella says.
The study of the ICAM-1 receptor was achieved using X-ray crystallography, a technique that allows scientists to determine the three-dimensional structure of biological molecules atom by atom.
Rossmann's study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. In addition, he received funding from the Lucille P. Markey Foundation.
Sources: Michael G. Rossmann, (765) 494-4911; e-mail, mgr@indiana.bio.purdue.edu
Jordi Bella, (765) 494-4507; e-mail, jordi@massachusetts.bio.purdue.edu
Writer: Susan Gaidos, (765) 494-2081; e-mail, susan_gaidos@uns.purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@uns.purdue.edu
NOTE TO JOURNALISTS:A copy of the journal article and background information on X-ray crystallography are available.