Thursday, November 14, 2019

Disabling one protein may one day lead to a cure for the common cold

Good news! This might turn out to be a whole new approach to fight viruses! Disabling or removing the gene for SETD3 is probably not the solution, because it affects other functions.

"Researchers have identified a key protein in humans that some viruses use to multiply inside of human cells. Disabling that protein, instead of attacking the virus itself, may prevent infections from spreading. In mice and human cells engineered to lack this protein, the viruses couldn’t replicate,  ... And experiments indicated that the viruses needed SETD3 to take over the cell. Scientists knew this protein could affect actin proteins, which help muscles contract. But its role in viral infections came as a surprise."

Disabling one protein may one day lead to a cure for the common cold | Science News: Scientists have identified a protein in humans that some viruses, including those that cause colds, need to spread.

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