A new function for aprotein calledTAO2 that appears to be key to preventing the spread of the flu has been identified by a team of scientists from UT Southwestern. The findings were published in a scientific journal.
"These results show that there are new strategies for interfering with influenza virus replication, which could lead to the development of new anti-influenza drugs," said Beatriz Fontoura, professor of cell biology at UT Southwestern. The study was led by a group of people.
Nuclear speckles are part of the host cell nucleus and can be taken over by the flu virus in order to reproduce. A novel role in regulating nuclear speckle assembly and function has been identified by a group of experts.
The function and integrity of nuclear speckles are maintained by the use ofTAO2. The function of nuclear speckles is to regulate key steps in the expression of genes, which are taken up by the flu. By down-regulating the levels of TAO2 we were able to prevent the replication of the flu.
Matthew Esparza and others contributed to the study.
More information: Shengyan Gao et al, Nuclear speckle integrity and function require TAO2 kinase, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2022). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2206046119 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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