Flaviviruses are small spherical virus particles covered by a dense icosahedral array of envelope (E) proteins that mediate virus attachment to cells and the fusion of viral and cellular membranes. Our understanding of the mechanism by which flavivirus E proteins orchestrate entry into cells has been advanced by studies of E structure and arrangement on the virion at different steps of the virus entry/membrane fusion process. When combined with an increasingly clear (albeit still incomplete) view of the cell biology of virus entry, these advances suggest new antiviral strategies. Indeed, inhibitors that target cellular and viral processes involved in entry show promise as powerful tools to study this critical step of the viral lifecycle, and with luck, may ultimately lead to therapeutic advances.

黄病毒是小的球形病毒颗粒，被密集的二十面体包膜 (E) 蛋白阵列覆盖，这些包膜 (E) 蛋白介导病毒附着到细胞以及病毒和细胞膜的融合。我们对黄病毒 E 蛋白协调进入细胞的机制的理解已经通过研究病毒进入/膜融合过程的不同步骤中病毒体的 E 结构和排列而得到推进。当结合越来越清晰（尽管仍然不完整）的病毒进入细胞生物学观点时，这些进展表明了新的抗病毒策略。事实上，靶向参与进入的细胞和病毒过程的抑制剂显示出作为研究病毒生命周期这一关键步骤的强大工具的前景，幸运的是，最终可能会导致治疗进展。