How respiratory viruses hide
The secret of the respiratory virus is revealed
Sergey Syrov, XX2 century
Human metapneumovirus (HMPV), which causes about 10% of all respiratory infections, was identified in 2001, but even before that it infected people for at least half a century. This RNA virus is widespread, and can, like the related human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV), be dangerous for people with weakened immunity (children and the elderly are at risk).
It is important to understand how these viruses work, and the data obtained by Ohio State University scientists on how HMPV bypasses the body's defense mechanisms will probably help develop a vaccine to protect against HRSV.
"This is very interesting because HRSV was discovered in 1953, but we still don't have a vaccine. The virus suppresses the innate immune response and can infect the same person over and over again," notes Jianrong Li, senior author of the study, professor of virology, in a press release Exposing a virus's hiding place reveals new potential vaccine.
"Now we have a mutant strain of HMPV that can trigger a higher immune response. Right now we are working on testing the concept to see if it will work for HRSV as well."
The research materials are published in the journal Nature Microbiology (N 6-methyladenosine modification enables viral RNA to escape recognition by RNA sensor RIG-I).
The study of metapneumovirus showed that its RNA during evolution received a modification, a certain methylation (modification of methyl-6 adenosine, m 6 A), which allows the virus to hide from the innate immune response. The body does not perceive methylated RNA as foreign. During the experiments, an altered HMPV was obtained, without methylation, and a vaccine based on such a virus caused a good immune response. Rats vaccinated in this way received and retained immunity to the disease caused by metapneumovirus.
Researchers who have received a patent for the use of the mechanism they discovered hope that the modification of m 6 A works in a similar way in other RNA viruses, which means that the way is open to the creation of new vaccines.
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