A new phenomenon is discovered to illustrate the contribution of viruses to virulence. They steal genetic signals from host and produce an amplitude of previously undetected proteins called as UFO (Upstream Frankenstein Open reading frame) proteins encoded together with host sequences.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200618120213.htm
There was no knowledge of existence of these types of proteins before!!
These UFO proteins could be exploited for vaccines discovery purpose.
The expression of these pathogen-derived proteins help pathogen to break the host barrier and establish infection successfully. We need to understand that what protein pathogen encodes, how they function to sustain the virulence.
Researchers show that they make a hybrid of mRNA of host and viruses by “start cap snatching” to make start-codon, unlike we use to believe previously as it starts from virus only. As a result, they translate unsuspected proteins from hybrid-host sequences (unsuspected genes).
These new insights may lead to identifying the novel ways to control infection & to stop epidemics and pandemics.
Anju Kaushal , With so many viruses around for so many decades now, was this class of proteins not found till date? Any idea about how they fool the protein machinery of the cell they infect? And, what would the endonucleases be doing when an UFO is found within the cell? Certainly interesting.
Thanks Rajesh S Patil .
Yes, it may require years of research more to clarify it. Because there would be some start codons formation and how genes from both side virus and host mixed up and joining the base pairs together & their relations with mutations etc.
Viruses use host's enzymes and other peptides/ proteins for their propagation.
Anju Kaushal , I was referring to the host's enzymes action on the UFO proteins produced. They may be out-of-place proteins though produced by the host itself and hence the host's enzymes may well break down these supposedly harmful? proteins.
Rajesh S Patil
I don't think so, as they use host's machinery to do everything. But yes , as they propagate , the immunity response is developed from hosts . So, that is why as pathogenic effect increase the disease severity increases too.
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