EFFECTS OF SPECIFIC HOST FACTORS AND MICRORNAS DURING INFECTIVE AND REGENERATIVE PHASES OF INFLUENZA PNEUMONIA

Abstract

INFLUENZA VIRUSES ARE A HEALTH CONCERN WITH LIMITED CONTROL MEASURES, THEREFORE THIS STUDY AIMS TO CHARACTERIZE SELECTED HOST FACTORS TO DISCOVER ADDITIONAL CONTROL STRATEGIES. VIPERIN AND CD151 ARE MANIPULATED IN VITRO AND IN VIVO. VIPERIN DEFICIENCY IN MICE DID NOT ALTER INFLUENZA SUSCEPTIBILITY; WHILE PAMIDRONATE, A VIPERIN MIMIC, DECREASED VIRAL TITER IN VITRO; BUT NOT IN VIVO, INSTEAD ENHANCING LUNG DAMAGE. IN CONTRAST, CD151 KNOCKDOWN IN VITRO AND IN VIVO REVEALED DIMINISHED VIRAL TITERS, IMPROVING INFECTION OUTCOME. THE STUDY FURTHER INVESTIGATES MIRNAS DURING INFLUENZA RECOVERY, A LOGICAL NEXT STEP TO ACHIEVE DESIRABLE INFECTION OUTCOME WITH MINIMAL SIDE EFFECTS. MICE RECOVERING FROM INFLUENZA WERE ANALYSED WITH MICROARRAY AND 20 MIRNAS INVOLVED IN LUNG REPAIR WERE SHORTLISTED. MIR-21 AND MIR-99A WERE FURTHER KNOCKDOWN IN INFECTED MICE. NOTABLY, MIR-21 KNOCKDOWN DELAYED RECOVERY WHILE EFFECTS OF MIR-99A WAS NOT ESTABLISHED SO FAR. IN CONCLUSION, MANIPULATION OF CERTAIN HOST F