Researchers have discovered a novel method that viruses use to move around the body. These findings could help scientists develop better treatments for viral infections, some of which can lay dormant in the body before getting another chance to cause illness again. The findings have been reported in Nature Communications.
Cells can use little sacs known as extracellular vesicles (EVs) to send stuff to other cells; EVs are made up of a bit of the cell’s membrane that is pinched off, and which can be filled with proteins, RNA, DNA, or other molecules. EVs are an important mechanism to send signals from one cell to another.
But when cells are infected with a virus like influenza, a self-destruct process can be triggered to limit further harm by the viral infection. When cells die like this, their shape changes and they move away from their environment. They also leave behind a kind of residue sometimes called a ‘footprint of death,’ which may contain a novel kind of EV.
These EVs are known as F-ApoEVs. They can help show the immune system where cleanup may be needed, and bits of dead cells must be cleared away to stop additional inflammation. If dead cells were infected with influenza, they can stash particles inside of the F-ApoEVs, and the infection may continue to spread to cells nearby.
"Understanding this basic biological process could open new avenues of research to develop new treatments that harness these steps and help the immune system better fight disease," said senior study author Professor Ivan Poon, Director of the Research Center for Extracellular Vesicles (RCEV). "Our findings demonstrate the complexity of this process and highlight how each step in the process is actually critical to help the dying cell break down efficiently and to be cleared away by the immune system."
"The more we can understand about cell death and what happens to cells after they die, the better we can understand disease pathologies and find new treatments," added first study author and graduate candidate Stephanie Rutter.
Sources: La Trobe University, Nature Communications
