The mysterious ways of Poxviruses
Infectious diseases are a major health concern, killing nearly 16 million people every year worldwide. Most of the infectious pathogens have evolved mechanisms to evade immune responses. For example, poxviruses express molecules that serve as immune system regulators, binding host proteins and disrupting the antiviral immune response. Intriguingly, poxviruses acquire the genetic material for these regulators from their hosts following long periods of co-evolution. To elucidate how the continuous selective pressure of pathogens affects the host immune system, scientists on the MCV IMMUNOREGULATION (Identification of novel immunomodulators in the human poxvirus molluscum contagiosum virus) project focussed on the Molluscum Contagiosum virus (MCV). MCV elicits a relatively weak immune response from the host and can remain in humans for long periods without widespread inflammation and clearance. Despite an unparalleled ability to inhibit human anti-viral immune response, its genome contains sequences whose function is mostly unknown. MCV IMMUNOREGULATION researchers set out to delineate the mechanisms behind this immune evasion through analysis of unique MCV genomic sequences. Preliminary results indicate the presence of viral inhibitors that influence NFκB signalling or activation of the interferon regulatory factor, critical pathways in driving inflammation. The consortium is working to characterise the host proteins that these viral inhibitors target. Collectively, the MCV IMMUNOREGULATION study findings should shed light into the strategies employed by MCV to evade human immune responses and persist in the skin. Further study of the MCV inhibitors could reveal new ways to manipulate human innate immunity, thereby opening avenues for therapeutic intervention of human inflammatory diseases.
