Publications by authors named "Deborah J Prusak"
Zika virus (ZIKV) infection causes microcephaly in a subset of infants born to infected pregnant mothers. It is unknown whether human individual differences contribute to differential susceptibility of ZIKV-related neuropathology. Here, we use an Asian-lineage ZIKV strain, isolated from the 2015 Mexican outbreak (Mex1-7), to infect primary human neural stem cells (hNSCs) originally derived from three individual fetal brains.
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- Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a leading cause of respiratory infections in kids and can infect individuals multiple times throughout their lives.
- Researchers discovered that the M2-2 protein of hMPV helps the virus evade the immune system by targeting a key signaling molecule called MAVS.
- Specific regions of the M2-2 protein, known as PDZ-binding motifs, prevent essential adaptors (TRAF5, TRAF6, and TRAF3) from interacting with MAVS, ultimately disrupting important immune responses.
Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a leading cause of respiratory infections in pediatric populations globally, with no prophylactic or therapeutic measures. Recently, a recombinant hMPV lacking the M2-2 protein (rhMPV-ΔM2-2) demonstrated reduced replication in the respiratory tract of animal models, making it a promising live vaccine candidate. However, the exact nature of the interaction between the M2-2 protein and host cells that regulates viral infection/propagation is largely unknown.
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