West Nile Virus replication and cellular stress responses

Project Details

WNV dramatically alters the intracellular environment of infected cells. Earlier studies from our lab have shown that viral protein expression and assembly all occur at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and that this organelle is also a source of membranes for the replication structures observed during infection. As a result, WNV places a significant amount of stress on the ER, thus we are interested in investigating the effect that WNV replication has on the ER stress response. Our studies have shown that WNV modulates signalling from the ER to benefit replication, activating pro-survival pathways whilst simultaneously inhibiting pro-apoptotic and translational arrest effectors. We have also demonstrated that by hijacking this signalling pathway, WNV can concurrently inhibit antiviral signalling, and that this is mediated by the hydrophobic viral proteins. We are currently investigating the cross-talk between ER stress and anti-viral signalling, as well as determining the exact effectors of ER stress vital for WNV replication.

Our current model of how WNV can manipulate and modulate cellular responses to promote survival

Figure 1: Our current model of how WNV can manipulate and modulate cellular responses to promote survival

Researchers

Dr Rebecca Ambrose

Research Group

Mackenzie laboratory: Intracellular virus replication and innate immunity


Faculty Research Themes

Infection and Immunology

School Research Themes

Molecular Mechanisms of Disease


Key Contact

For further information about this research, please contact the research group leader.

Department / Centre

Microbiology and Immunology

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