Publications by authors named "Heather A Filyk"

Article Synopsis
  • Recent research highlights that viral elements in the gut microbiota play a role in maintaining intestinal balance and protecting against inflammation and infections.
  • The study focused on a specific murine norovirus (MNV; strain CR6) and found that the protein STAT1 is crucial for controlling viral replication and T cell immune responses, while also preventing damage from viral infections.
  • Interestingly, even when T cell responses were impaired in mice lacking STAT1, the depletion of these immune cells did not worsen the disease caused by the virus, indicating that managing viral replication is more important for preventing illness than regulating T cell responses.
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Mammalian evolution has occurred in the presence of mutualistic, commensal, and pathogenic micro- and macro-organisms for millennia. The presence of these organisms during mammalian evolution has allowed for intimate crosstalk between these colonizing species and the host immune system. In this review, we introduce the concept of the 'multibiome' to holistically refer to the biodiverse collection of bacteria, viruses, fungi and multicellular helminthic worms colonizing the mammalian intestine.

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