[The Epoch Times, June 11, 2022](The Epoch Times reporter Li Shaowei compiled and reported) New research has found a way to completely block ainfluenzaReplication of virus strains in human cells.Researchers say this technique has the potential to be used to fight the fluVirusThe most effective method and has the potential to expand to combat the COVID-19 virus.
influenzaAlthough not fatal, the disease also kills many people each year, mainly young children and the elderly. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that in the United States alone, 12,000 to 50,000 people die each year due to influenza. People mainly rely on getting the flu vaccine to protect themselves from getting the flu.
Vaccines work by training the bodyimmune systemenhancing its recognition and attack against influenzaVirusAbility.But the effect of the vaccine is not ideal, and scientists do not know all the reasons behind it, but they only know roughly that this may be related to everyoneimmune systemIt is related to the specific situation and may also be related to the variation of virus strains.
Instead of relying on the immune system to fight the virus, the new study finds a way to cut off its transmission by making the virus completely unable to replicate itself.
The study explains that in order for a virus to make a person sick, it must keep replicating inside human cells, thereby infecting more cells. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside (UC Riverside) have found that the common influenza A (Influenza A) and influenza B (Influenza B) viruses both require specific human proteins to multiply inside cells.
The study completely blocked the replication of the influenza B virus by preventing the influenza B virus from making contact with this protein.
Influenza B virus exploits a virus called SUMO in human cells, study saysproteinThe process of SUMOylation modifies the M1 gene. This gene plays a key role in the life cycle of the virus. SUMO protein modification process refers to the process in which small ubiquitin-related modifier (small ubiquitin-related modifier, abbreviated as SUMO) protein binds and separates from other proteins, changing their biochemical activities and functions.
This study found that SUMOproteinThe modified inhibitor, STE025, can completely block the replication of influenza B virus. Influenza B virus treated with SUMO protein-modified inhibitor loses the ability to modify the M1 gene with SUMO protein, and cannot replicate in human cells.
Influenza A viruses also have proteins associated with SUMO protein modification, so the researchers believe that this approach may also work for influenza A viruses.
The researchers said that more research is needed to further clarify the dependence of these influenza viruses on the SUMO protein modification process, but this study is an important step towards completely defeating influenza viruses in the future.
The study was published February 3 in the journal Viruses. ◇
Responsible editor: Li Po