Viruses Hitch A Ride In The Cell

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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080624111015.htm

Viruses Hitch A Ride In The Cell

ScienceDaily (June 26, 2008) — Viruses can travel around cells they infect by

hitching a ride on a microscopic transport system, according to new research.

Cells are exposed to foreign DNA and RNA and it is understood that some of this

genetic material can be integrated into the host genome. Using modern

microscopic techniques, scientists have been able to see how virus DNA is

transported in the cell.

Professor Dr Urs Greber from the University of Zurich will describe interactions

between viruses and the cell cytoskeleton on June 24 2008 at the new SGM-RMS

satellite meeting, part of the prestigious MICROSCIENCE 2008 conference being

held at the ExCeL conference centre in London.

" We have been using human adenoviruses (Ads) to investigate transport processes

of foreign DNA in the cytoplasm of human cells, " said Professor Dr Greber.

" Adenoviruses are a diverse family of agents that replicate their DNA genome in

the cell nucleus. We wanted to find out how the virus gets to the nucleus to

replicate. To do this we have been using live cell fluorescence microscopy,

which means we can literally watch the virus travelling inside the cell. "

Human adenoviruses can cause respiratory, urinary and digestive infections. They

occasionally cause epidemic conjunctivitis, and can be fatal in

immunocompromised patients. Adenoviruses can aggravate asthmatic conditions, and

are associated with deadly gastroenteritis in babies. This research improves our

knowledge of how the virus replicates in host cells.

" Virus DNA is transported from the edge of the cell to the nucleus in the middle

by attaching to microtubules. These are microscopic tubes that form part of the

cytoskeleton, keeping the cell in shape and carrying molecules around in the

cytoplasm, " said Professor Dr Greber. " We found an unexpected new link between

microtubule-based transport in the cytoplasm of the cell and the import of virus

DNA to the nucleus. "

Other talks at the one-day SGM meeting will concentrate on the 'tussle' that

takes place when a host cell tries to fight back against an invading pathogen.

Sir King will start the day by talking about the 'Twenty first century

challenges of sustainability and wellbeing'. Professor Timo Hyypia (University

of Turku) will speak on 'Cellular interactions of enteroviruses' and Dr Mark

Jepson (University of Bristol) will look at the way in which bacteria invade

cells. The manipulation of cellular compartments by the SARS coronavirus for

replication purposes will also be discussed by Dr Marjolein Kikkert (Leiden

University Medical Centre).

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Adapted from materials provided by Society for General Microbiology, via

EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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