Discovery of new gene sheds light on flu infections
submited by kickingbird at Jul, 1, 2012 8:14 AM from university of edinburgh
Scientists have discovered a new gene in the influenza virus that helps the virus control the body’s response to infection.
Although this control is exerted by the virus, surprisingly it reduces the impact of the infection.
The findings will help researchers better understand how flu can cause severe infections, as well as inform research into new treatments.
Researchers found when the virus gene - called PA-X - was active, mice infected with flu subsequently recovered.
When the PA-X gene did not work properly, the immune system was found to overreact.
This made the infection worse, and did not help destroy the virus any quicker.
The study looked at how the gene affected the behaviour of “Spanish flu”, a virulent strain of influenza that caused a pandemic in 1918.
It was carried out by the Universities of Cambridge, Cork, Edinburgh and Utah, the Institute of Systems Biology in Seattle and the United States National Institutes of Health.
Scientists discovered the PA-X gene some 30 years after flu genome was first decoded.
The researchers, whose study is published online in the journal Science, found the hidden gene by analysing patterns of changes in the genetic information of thousands of different flu strains.
- Primers and probes for H5 and N1 qRT-PCR detection [CNIC] 3 hours ago
- USDA: Actions to Protect Livestock Health From Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza 1 days ago
- USFDA: Updates on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) 2 days ago
- Resources: Consensus sequences for U.S. H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b 3 days ago
- USDA Publishes H5N1 Influenza A Virus Genetic Sequences on publicly available site 3 days ago
[Go Top] [Close Window]