Much like flipping a light switch, the hepatitis C virus turns on human immune defenses upon entering the body but also turns off those defenses by manipulating interaction of key cellular proteins, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found. This same molecular “on/off switch” controls immunity against many viruses, highlighting a potential new target for novel therapeutics to fight viruses, the researchers report. In a study available online this week and in an upcoming issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, UT Southwestern scientists describe how the proteins RIG-I and LGP2 normally interact to turn on and off immune response to hepatitis C.>>> Discuss This Story
