6) Viruses Use Siaα2,3/2,6Gal Receptors
HAs of H1–H16 viruses recognize specific sialyl glycans on the host epithelial cell surface, as a crucial step mediating virus infection (Figure 3a). IAVs from avians, either wild birds or domestic birds, typically prefer the α2,3Sia terminal. Surprisingly, a recent study showed that some gull/tern H16 viruses prefer α2,6Neu5Ac over or equal to the α2,3Neu5Ac terminal of syntheti