This virus affects millions – and we have just discovered its secret weapon

The researchers have discovered a non -appreciated mechanism by CMV, which is the herpes virus that affects the majority of adult population in the world, entering cells that line up on blood vessels and contribute to vascular disease. In addition to the use of molecular machines shared by all herpes viruses, CMV uses another molecular “key” that allows the virus to infiltrate via a side door and escape from the natural immune defenses of the body.

This conclusion may explain the reason why the efforts made to develop preventive treatments against CMV. This research also sheds light on a possible new way to develop antiviral drugs in the future, and indicates that other viruses for the herpes family, such as Epstein Bar and Dick Shkery, can use partially similar molecular structures from an infected cell to another while avoiding the detection of immunity.

“If we do not know the weapons that the enemy uses, it is difficult to protect them,” said the author of the authors, Jeremy Cameel, associate professor of microbiology and molecular genetics. “We have found a missing piece of puzzle representing one of the potential reasons that the immunization efforts against CMV did not succeed.”

In the United States, approximately one out of every 200 children is born with an congenital CMV infection. Among the infected children, one in five will have birth defects, such as hearing loss, or they continue with long -term health challenges. For most adults, CMV infection is without symptoms. But CMV infection during pregnancy represents great health risks to a child who has not yet been born and can be fatal for immunodeficiency people, including organ transplant recipients.

Because of the large size of his genome and its sophisticated molecular machines, CMV has a long time to develop preventive treatments. Like other herpes viruses, CMV depends on a protein called GH to enter the lining cells. But unlike other herpes viruses, which use a protein partner called GL to facilitate infection, the new study found that CMV replaces GL with another partner called UL116 and recruits a protein called u141. The GH-UL116-UL141, which is called the portal by authors, becomes an alternative tool for storming cells lining up on the blood vessels and causing internal damage while preventing the body’s immune system simultaneously from identifying the signs of infection.

The newly discovered portal can become a potential target for CMV vaccine and herpes viruses.

“Previous attempts to create a CMV vaccine have failed, but this was before we define the gate complex. We hope that new strategies target our chances of our chances in combating CMV infection, and perhaps also cleansing our bodies of this infection for life, studying, CIE, CIO, CIO, Erica Oman Saffer, PhD, MA in Business Administration.” If we can develop medicines The antiviral or vaccines that prevent the entry of CMV, this will allow us to combat many diseases caused by this virus in developing children and people who suffer from this. “

Other authors of this research are Michael Norris, PhD, from the University of Toronto; Lauren Henderson, Mohamed Siddiqui, PhD, both from Louisiana State University, Sherveport; And Jieyun Yin, Ph.d. , Kwangsun Yoo, Ph.d. , Simon BRUNEL, Ph.d. , Michael Mor, Ph.d. , Erica Olmann Saphire, Ph.d. All of La Jolla Institute for Immunology.

This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (Grants Ai11685, AI139749, AI101423, T32HL155022) and ARPA-H APECX 1ay1ax000055.