Tripartite Motif (TRIM) is a part of a family of proteins that induce interferons and are involved in pathogen recognition during infection as an important component of resistance against some pathogens.
Although human TRIM56, as part of the E3 ligase family, has not been found to impact propagation of all positive strand RNA viruses, it does possess antiviral activity against two classical flaviviruses, Dengue fever and yellow fever as well as the human coronavirus, HCov-OC43, a common coronavirus causing mild common colds. TRIM56 is increasingly recognised as an active participant in antiviral innate immunity but is not indiscriminate in its action on all viruses but TRIM56 has been reported to inhibit flavi-virus RNA replication and also acts at the stage of coronavirus packaging/release, after single stranded helicase RNA viruses replicate the RNA genome, undergo ribosome biogenesis, transcribe mRNA, and undergo splicing, maturation, RNA export/degradation and RNA translation.
Are there any human clinical trials taking place, following the recently discovered antiviral properties of TRIM56 in animal models?
@Annwyne, I've not seen such a study, but have been thinking along these lines: Brazil was ravaged by covid with exception of one province that had a prior outbreak of Zika for which TRIM56 is a deterrent, and the current mystery of most of Africa not having the covid outcome raging in the rest of the world, but for which the disease of dengue is endemic. TRIM56 is also a factor in resistance to dengue. These similarities make one question what a residential population TRIM56 level may have had in the relatively low levels of COVID-19 in those areas and perhaps demands more attention from someone qualified to investigate. West Nile Virus is now endemic in the US and a survey of WN (also a flavavirus) survivors and covid-19 infections would be interesting. Thanks for your question.
Thank you, William, for these very insightful observations.
I do hope that this is further investigated as the suggestion appears to have been firmly dismissed so far.