Brook E. Heaton, Edward M. Kennedy, Rebekah E. Dum. A CRISPR Activation Screen Identifies a Pan-avian Influenza Virus Inhibitory Host Factor. Cell Rep. Volume 20, Issue 7, p1503–1512, 15 Augus
Highlights
?CRISPR activation used in a genome-wide screen for viral restriction factors
?B4GALNT2 was the major hit in the screen, and activation restricted IAV infection
?B4GALNT2 modifies glycans containing α2,3-linked sialic acids
?Glycan modification by B4GALNT2 restricted infection by all tested avian IAV strains
▼Summary
Influenza A virus (IAV) is a pathogen that poses significant risks to human health. It is therefore critical to develop strategies to prevent influenza disease. Many loss-of-function screens have been performed to identify the host proteins required for viral infection. However, there has been no systematic screen to identify the host factors that, when overexpressed, are sufficient to prevent infection. In this study, we used CRISPR/dCas9 activation technology to perform a genome-wide overexpression screen to identify IAV restriction factors. The major hit from our screen, B4GALNT2, showed inhibitory activity against influenza viruses with an α2,3-linked sialic acid receptor preference. B4GALNT2 overexpression prevented the infection of every avian influenza virus strain tested, including the H5, H9, and H7 subtypes, which have previously caused disease in humans. Thus, we have used CRISPR/dCas9 activation technology to identify a factor that can abolish infection by avian influenza viruses.
See Also:
Latest articles in those days:
- [preprint] Emergence and interstate spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) in dairy cattle 1 days ago
- Modelling the transmission dynamics of H9N2 avian influenza viruses in a live bird market 1 days ago
- CD8+ T-cell responses towards conserved influenza B virus epitopes across anatomical sites and age 4 days ago
- Surveillance for highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) in a raptor rehabilitation center-2022 4 days ago
- [preprint]Detection of hemagglutinin H5 influenza A virus sequence in municipal wastewater solids at wastewater treatment plants with increases in influenza A in spring, 2024 4 days ago
[Go Top] [Close Window]