{"id":15745,"date":"2017-09-12T00:49:11","date_gmt":"2017-09-12T00:49:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/utter-drop.flywheelsites.com\/?post_type=hdsn_news_post&p=15745"},"modified":"2022-02-07T15:26:33","modified_gmt":"2022-02-07T04:26:33","slug":"missing-link-explains-viruses-trigger-immunity","status":"publish","type":"hdsn_news_post","link":"https:\/\/hudson.org.au\/news\/missing-link-explains-viruses-trigger-immunity\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Missing link’ explains how viruses trigger immunity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A discovery by Melbourne researchers has solved a longstanding mystery of how viruses trigger protective immunity within our body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dr
Dr Michelle Tate<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The research team demonstrated a protein called SIDT2 was crucial for cells to detect viral components in their environment, and initiate an immune response to reduce the virus\u2019 spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As well as being an important part of the intricate \u2018arms race\u2019 between viruses and our immune system, the finding could inform better approaches to delivering a promising new class of therapeutics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study was led by Dr Tan Nguyen, Dr Ken Pang,\u00a0Associate Professor Seth Masters\u00a0and\u00a0Professor Ian Wicks\u00a0at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, together with\u00a0Dr Michelle Tate<\/a>\u00a0at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research, and\u00a0Professor Craig Hunter\u00a0at Harvard School, US. The research was published today in the journal\u00a0Immunity<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a viral infection, RNA \u2013 a genetic material similar to DNA \u2013 is released into the environment around the infected cells. Dr Nguyen said the team showed that SIDT2 allowed viral RNA to be shuttled between compartments within cells, allowing it to reach the proteins that trigger anti-viral immunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis RNA is in a \u2018double-stranded\u2019 form, called \u2018dsRNA\u2019, that is not normally found in our body. Human cells have evolved ways to detect dsRNA as a warning sign of an active viral infection and, in this way, dsRNA acts as an important trigger for cells to mount an anti-viral immune response.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCells constantly survey their environment by \u2018swallowing\u2019 small samples of their environment into compartments called endosomes. The enigma was that no one knew how the dsRNA escaped the endosome to reach the cytoplasm, where it can be detected by the cell.\u201d Dr Nguyen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team showed that SIDT2 was the crucial missing link needed to transport dsRNA out of endosomes, and enable an immune response to be launched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Viruses have many strategies to prevent an infected cell from alerting the immune system to their presence, Dr Pang said. \u201cIntriguingly, we showed that SIDT2 is critical for uninfected \u2018bystander\u2019 cells to detect viral RNA in their environment,\u201d Dr Pang said. \u201cThis means bystanders can trigger protective immunity before they even encounter the virus itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cViruses have evolved many ways to switch off the immune response, allowing them to spread, while humans have evolved counter measures to allow a rapid and protective immune response that contains the viral infection. SIDT2 is helping humans in the \u2018arms race\u2019 between viruses and their human hosts.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The research may also have future implications for a new class of therapeutics based on dsRNA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor more than a decade there have been attempts to use modified dsRNA to switch off genes that cause disease \u2013 an approach called RNA interference,\u201d Dr Pang said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile there have been many clinical trials utilising RNA interference, delivering RNA into cells has been a huge challenge and the lack of effective delivery has meant that these trials have all ultimately failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow that we know SIDT2 is important in trafficking double-stranded RNA into cells, future RNA-based therapeutics can hopefully be designed to maximise their transport by SIDT2,\u201d Dr Pang said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Dr Nguyen undertook the research as a PhD student at the Institute enrolled through the University of Melbourne. Dr Pang now works at the Murdoch Children\u2019s Research Institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research was supported by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council<\/a>, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians<\/a>, the Menzies Foundation<\/a>, the CASS Foundation<\/a>, the John T \u2028Reid Charitable Trust<\/a>s, Sylvia & Charles Viertel Senior Medical Research Fellowship<\/a>, the US National Institutes of Health<\/a> and the Victorian Government Operational Infrastructure Support Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story was originally published on the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute website<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contact us<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Hudson Institute Communications
t: <\/strong>+ 61 3 8572 2697
e:<\/strong> communications@hudson.org.au<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A discovery by Melbourne researchers has solved a longstanding mystery of how viruses trigger protective immunity within our body. The research team demonstrated a protein called SIDT2 was crucial for cells to detect viral components in their environment, and initiate an immune response to reduce the virus\u2019 spread. 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