HHMI -- The West Nile virus is a lean genetic machine. It contains just enough genetic material to build ten proteins by itself, and relies on its hosts’ cellular machinery to build everything else it needs. Now Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Erol Fikrig and his colleagues have identified more than 300 human genes that influence West Nile virus infection. More than 20 of these cooperate with the virus, whereas the others help cells resist it. Fikrig’s group also tested the related dengue fever virus in search of genes important to both viruses. Their results are reported in an August 6, 2008, advance online publication of the journal Nature.
