Influenza Virus Disarms Immune System Using Hijacked Gene Regulator, Study Finds.

A new study from the University of Gothenburg reveals that the influenza A virus employs a previously unknown strategy to weaken the body’s immune response, potentially enhancing its ability to spread. Published in Nucleic Acids Research, the findings show that the virus repurposes a key protein involved in gene regulation to silence the immune system’s early warning signals.

The protein in question, AGO2, typically functions outside the cell nucleus as part of RNA interference (RNAi), a system that controls gene activity. However, researchers found that during infection, the influenza virus is able to relocate AGO2 into the nucleus. Once there, AGO2 interferes with the activation of genes essential for immune signaling.

Central to this disruption are type I interferons—molecular messengers that help infected cells alert nearby cells to viral threats. By suppressing the production of these interferons, the virus effectively prevents the body from mounting a rapid immune defense.

“This was particularly surprising,” said Aishe Sarshad, associate professor at Sahlgrenska Academy and co-author of the study. “The virus manages to exploit a highly regulated system like RNA interference and use it in a part of the cell where it usually doesn’t operate.”

The study also uncovered that AGO2 is guided into the nucleus alongside the tumor suppressor protein p53. Once inside, AGO2 binds to and silences genes responsible for triggering the body’s immune alarms.

To test whether this viral manipulation could be countered, the team experimented with arsenic trioxide (ATO), a drug already approved for a form of blood cancer. In both lab-grown cells and mice, ATO boosted interferon levels and lowered viral load in the lungs.

These findings suggest that targeting the host’s own RNAi system could be a viable approach for combating not only influenza but potentially other RNA viruses as well.

Sarshad concluded, “This opens up the possibility of a new class of antiviral therapies—ones that not only aim at the virus itself but also how it takes advantage of our cellular machinery.”

Source:https://phys.org/news/2025-04-influenza-virus-hijacks-cell-machinery.html

This is non-financial/medical advice and made using AI so could be wrong.