A team of scientists at Trinity have discovered that a biological molecule is key in fighting viruses such as the common flu, hoping this discovery may lead to new options against a whole spectrum of viral infections.
The group of scientists, led by Assistant Professor in Immunology at Trinity, Dr Nigel Stevenson, have discovered that a biological molecule important in cell growth, STAT3, is also critical in protecting us against infection, so much so that we would be unable to fight the common flu virus without it. This discovery could pave the way to the development of new therapeutics charged with restoring our natural immunity to a whole spectrum of viruses that have evolved ‘roadblocks’ to the immune response.
The team’s finding were recently published in the journal Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences CMLS. The immunologists’ findings revealed that viruses have evolved numerous methods to inhibit “signalling” pathways, and block responses to a cell-produced immune molecule called Interferon. Interferon essentially ‘interferes’ with attacking viruses, preventing them from replicating in our bodies. When our cells are stimulated by Interferon a cascade of molecules within our cells is activated like a series of dominos. When the final one falls, the cell should be able to clear the viral infection. This cascade of molecules – a signalling pathway – then passes the “danger signal” of viral infection through the cell.
The Interferon signalling pathway initiates the production of several hundred immune molecules that act to destroy viruses and amplify our immune response against them. In a press statement, Stevenson said that immunologists believed that because the interferon signalling pathway enhances the immune response against viruses “so effectively”, viruses may have evolved means to “block it”. This, he states, “would explain why several viruses are so troublesome to defeat”.
In a world of newly emerging viral infections such as SARS, ZIKA and Ebola, understanding how viruses target our immune system, and the need to develop new therapeutic options to cure and protect us, has never been so important. Indeed, over the past few years, Dr Stevenson and his team had discovered that Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), among others, specifically target the Interferon signalling pathway which helps them avoid being naturally cured by our immune systems.
Scientists had, until now, believed they fully understood how the Interferon signalling pathway worked, but by using a series of viral infections and molecular techniques, Dr Stevenson’s team discovered a new anti-viral role for STAT3.
For decades, scientists have known that STAT3 is “essential for healthy cell growth”, but Stevenson’s teams’ research shows that without STAT3, “cells cannot fight the common Flu Virus or the Pox Vaccinia virus”.
A major goal of the team is to find solutions to the real-world problems faced by those who cannot get rid of certain viruses after they have been infected. As Dr Stevenson explains, the discovery of his team “opens the door to new therapeutic options,” which they hope “will be able to help people restore their natural immunity against a host of problematic viruses.”
