“Hidden” Protein May Explain Why Some Flus Are More Dangerous than Others
Sometimes, it's the small, silent types that cause the most trouble.
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| The PB1-F2 protein, in green, migrates to the mitochondria of its host cell, in red, resulting in the color yellow in this computer-generated image of an influenza virus-infected cell. This cell is healthy, but PB1-F2 will eventually compromise mitochondrial function, which will lead to cell death. Credit: Drs. Yewdell and Bennink |
A small protein encoded by a newly discovered, camouflaged gene for the type A flu virus may kill immune system cells that fight the virus, say Jon Yewdell, M.D., Ph.D., and Jack Bennink, Ph.D., in NIAID's Laboratory of Viral Diseases. Their finding could one day explain why some flu strains are more deadly than others.
Drs. Yewdell and Bennink stumbled upon the protein by luck while trying to determine if "junk" peptides, short scraps of protein that a virus manufactures by accident as it makes copies of itself, could be recognized by the immune system. The new protein, named PB1-F2, had never before been detected because the gene that encodes it overlaps the much larger PB1 gene.
Using a technique called immunofluorescence, which makes the protein glow green under a special laser microscope, Drs. Yewdell and Bennink and their team of talented researchers found that the protein targets the mitochondria of its host cell, speeding the cell's demise. Other experiments suggest that PB1-F2 may also be secreted by infected cells to kill immune cells rushing to the site of infection, multiplying its deadly effects.
Among other things, the researchers study whether this toxic protein may have played a role in the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic in which more than 20 million people, many between the ages of 18 and 30, died around the world.
This information is based on the article: "A Novel Influenza A Virus Mitochondrial Protein That Induces Cell Death," from Nature Medicine.
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