Publications by authors named "Johanna L Heinz"
Autophagy is a degradational pathway with pivotal roles in cellular homeostasis and survival, including protection of neurons in the central nervous system (CNS). The significance of autophagy as antiviral defense mechanism is recognized and some viruses hijack and modulate this process to their advantage in certain cell types. Here, we present data demonstrating that the human neurotropic herpesvirus varicella zoster virus (VZV) induces autophagy in human SH-SY5Y neuronal cells, in which the pathway exerts antiviral activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImpaired STING Activation Due to a Variant in the E3 Ubiquitin Ligase AMFR in a Patient with Severe VZV Infection and Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis.
Michelle Mølgaard Thomsen Morten Kelder Skouboe Michelle Møhlenberg Jian Zhao Kerstin de Keukeleere Johanna Laura Heinz
J Clin Immunol
January 2024
Article Synopsis
- Varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes chickenpox and shingles, and can lead to severe complications like encephalitis and pneumonitis, particularly in vulnerable individuals.
- A case study of a 3-year-old boy showed a complex progression of varicella with serious symptoms, leading to the suspicion of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), which was treated despite ongoing issues.
- The patient had a rare genetic variant in the AMFR gene affecting immune response signaling, resulting in higher VZV replication and impaired immune function, highlighting the importance of the AMFR-STING pathway in fighting viral infections.
Article Synopsis
- HSV and VZV are viruses that can cause lifelong infections and sometimes lead to acute retinal necrosis (ARN), a serious eye disease that threatens vision.
- Researchers studied blood samples from 17 ARN patients and used Whole Exome Sequencing to identify genetic variants that might be linked to the disease.
- They found 50 potential disease-causing genetic variants related to immune response, suggesting that these may lead to poor control of the virus and more severe eye complications, paving the way for better diagnoses and treatments.