Irish scientists led by a group from Trinity College Dublin have discovered how the dangerous Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) defuses our immune response and, in doing so, they have pinpointed an exciting new target for drug developers.
Trinity College DublinJul 19 2024 Irish scientists led by a group from Trinity College Dublin have discovered how the dangerous Respiratory Syncytial Virus defuses our immune response and, in doing so, they have pinpointed an exciting new target for drug developers.
Working with human airway epithelial cells, the team of scientists has discovered that RSV suppresses a key biological pathway in our cells and prevents key "immune system igniters" from moving into the nuclei of cells. These igniters are ordinarily activated by interferon-alpha, our own natural antiviral.
"Interferon-alpha, which activates signals in our cells through the JAK/STAT pathway, is responsible for kick-starting hundreds of antiviral genes into action, which then target the virus in a number of different ways. So when RSV prevents interferon from communicating to these genes the virus slams the brakes on our immune response, which can result in the virus taking hold and quite quickly causing very serious medical issues.
Children Genes Immune Response Immune System Immunology Interferon Pneumonia Respiratory Respiratory Syncytial Virus Virus
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