Nature medicine: Powerful against virus infection

Viruses usually spread in the brain in a mixed pattern, infecting some cells but missing others. A new study from the University of Washington School of Medicine helped explain this. Scientists have found that natural immune defenses against viral infections are turned on in some brain cells and turned off in others. The research was published in the journal Nature Medicine.

"Cells infected by pathogens are the main determinants of the severity of brain infections. To understand the basis of the disease, it is important to know which brain regions are more susceptible to infection and their causes," Michael Diamond, senior author of the paper and professor of medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine The doctor said.

Although some brain infections are caused by bacteria, fungi, or parasites, they are usually caused by viral infections, such as West Nile virus, herpes virus, or enterovirus.

In the new study, the researchers focused on granule cell neurons, a type of cell that is rarely infected. They compared the gene expression profiles of granulosa cells from the cerebellum with those of the more susceptible, cortical neurons in the brain. The comparison showed many differences, including the discovery that many genes in cortical neurons are not well expressed-meaning that these specific genes have fewer mRNA copies.

Next, the researchers transduced 40 of these genes into cortical neurons and screened cells sensitive to viral infections. The test results show that the three interferon-stimulated antiviral genes Ifi27, ​​Irg1 and Rsad2 mediate antiviral effects on different neurotropic viruses. When the expression levels of these genes in cortical neurons increase, the cells' susceptibility to viruses decreases.

The researchers also discovered the mechanisms that cause these changes in genetic programming: regulatory factors called microRNAs, and differences in how DNA is modified in the nucleus, both of which can affect gene expression levels.

Some of these genetic changes only help fight specific virus families, while others are effective against a wider range of viruses and bacteria. Scientists are not yet sure whether the difference in susceptibility to infection is driven by the need to prevent infection or a by-product of changes that help neurons in specific brain regions perform important functions.

To gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms by which these innate immune genes help cells fight infection, Diamond and his colleagues are trying to inactivate them in mouse brains.

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