Researchers have discovered some new and surprising ways that viral RNA and influenza virus are detected by human lung cells, which has potential implications for treating people affected by such viruses.
Researchers from Trinity College Dublin have discovered some new and surprising ways that viral RNA and influenza virus are detected by human lung cells, which has potential implications for treating people affected by such viruses.
These viruses primarily target respiratory epithelial cells to replicate, where they cause cell damage and death. Scientists have become aware that these epithelial cells are not mere passive barriers, helpless to attack, but instead are vital in driving the antiviral immune response. The team discovered that viral RNA and influenza viruses stimulate two different molecular pathways in which specific proteins set off chain reactions that result in two proteins called"gasdermin D" and"gasdermin E" being processed in such a way that they form membrane pores in the epithelial cells.
To assess the importance of this finding, the team suppressed the formation of the gasdermin pores to see what would happen, and this resulted in increased replication of influenza viruses, underlining how important these gasdermins are in the antiviral response.
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