Mumps virus is a member of the Paramyxoviridae family.
There is only one serotype.
The virion is pleomorphic with a roughly spherical shape and a diameter of 85-300um.
The nucleocapsid is composed of a continuous linear molecule of single-stranded RNA that is tightly coiled in a helical formation and a capsid protein with RNA polymerase activity.
The nucleocapsid is surrounded by a lipid envelope composed of three layers.
The inner surface is a protein that supports the outer layers, the middle is a lipid bilayer acquired as the virion buds from the host cell, and the external layer is studded with glycoproteins that carry receptor-destroying, hemagglutinating and cell fusion activity.
The hemagglutinating protein binds to sialic acid residues on target cells to initiate infection.
The cell fusion protein is responsible for the fusion of lipid bilayers that enable penetration of the virus and cell-to-cell spread of infection.
Applications:Suitable for use in Indirect Immunofluorescence and ELISA.