idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Nachrichten, Termine, Experten

Grafik: idw-Logo
Science Video Project
idw-Abo

idw-News App:

AppStore

Google Play Store



Instance:
Share on: 
02/12/2019 17:00

Viral decoys - how the Ebola virus leads the immune system astray

Dr. Ellen Katz Kommunikation und Medien
Universitätsklinikum Tübingen

    Currently published in Cell Reports.
    A research team from Tübingen and Göttingen has described in the renowned journal Cell Reports a new mechanism how the Ebola virus escapes the immune system. The virus causes infected cells to release decoys that inactivate neutralizing antibodies and prevent immune cells from releasing important messenger molecules. These findings could lead to the development of new vaccines against hemorrhagic fever viruses.

    As reported by the team led by the Tübingen virologist Prof. Michael Schindler, the glycoprotein of the Ebola virus causes cells to release small vesicles bearing the Ebola virus glycoprotein on their surface. These so-called virosomes bind antibodies directed against the Ebola virus glycoprotein and could thereby interfere with control of viral infection by the antibody response. In addition, the virosomes suppress the release of cytokines and chemokines by macrophages. Macrophages are scavenger cells that release messenger molecules and thereby coordinate the immune responses against invading viruses.

    Why do most patients mount an immune response against Ebola virus despite the release of virosomes? Again, the virologists have an explanation: "The immune system has developed countermeasures against virosomes," explains Schindler. "We were able to show that another cellular protein, which plays an important role in innate immune defense, can prevent the release of virosomes.”

    The newly discovered properties of virosomes are of importance for basic research. In addition, they have implications for therapy and prevention. "The virosomes apparently carry functionally intact Ebola glycoprotein on their surface, but are otherwise not infectious," explains Prof. Stefan Pöhlmann, co-author of the study and head of the Infection Biology Unit at the German Primate Center in Göttingen. "This makes virosomes attractive candidates for vaccine development."

    The researchers now want to investigate whether other hemorrhagic fever viruses also release virosomes and whether they can be used for the production of vaccines.

    Caption: Human cells that produce virosomes. For this, the cells were manipulated so that they pro-duce fluorescently labeled Ebola envelope protein. This is incorporated into the cell membranes and released as virosomes. These have a size of about ten thousandths of a millimeter and were visual-ized via high-resolution microscopy.


    Contact for scientific information:

    University Hospital Tuebingen
    Institute of Medical Virology and Epidemiology
    Prof. Dr. med. Michael Schindler
    Head Molecular Virology of Human Infectious Diseases
    Elfriede-Aulhorn-Str. 6, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
    Tel. +49 (0)7071 29-87459
    Michael.Schindler@med.uni-tuebingen.de


    Original publication:

    Release of immunomodulatory Ebola virus glycoprotein-containing microvesicles is suppressed by tetherin in a species-specific manner.
    Authors: Julia Nehls, Ramona Businger, Markus Hoffmann, Constantin Brinkmann, Birgit Fehrenbacher, Martin Schaller, Brigitte Maurer, Caroline Schönfeld, Daniela Krämer, Stephan Hailfinger, Stefan Pöhlmann, Michael Schindler
    DOI-Nummer: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2019.01.065


    Images

    Human cells that produce virosomes
    Human cells that produce virosomes
    University Hospital Tübingen
    None


    Criteria of this press release:
    Journalists, Scientists and scholars, Students, all interested persons
    Biology, Medicine
    transregional, national
    Research results, Scientific Publications
    English


     

    Human cells that produce virosomes


    For download

    x

    Help

    Search / advanced search of the idw archives
    Combination of search terms

    You can combine search terms with and, or and/or not, e.g. Philo not logy.

    Brackets

    You can use brackets to separate combinations from each other, e.g. (Philo not logy) or (Psycho and logy).

    Phrases

    Coherent groups of words will be located as complete phrases if you put them into quotation marks, e.g. “Federal Republic of Germany”.

    Selection criteria

    You can also use the advanced search without entering search terms. It will then follow the criteria you have selected (e.g. country or subject area).

    If you have not selected any criteria in a given category, the entire category will be searched (e.g. all subject areas or all countries).