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An article published in the journal Plos Pathogens by researchers at the University of Murcia (UMU) has suggested that the neutralization of the molecule TNFa in zebrafish during infections produced by the virus of the rhabdovirus family can help to eliminate this infection.
UMU researchers, led by Professor Victoriano Mulero, have discovered that the molecule (the tumor necrosis factor alpha), which produces the immune system of the zebrafish to be infected by a virus of this family (among which Finds the one of the rabia), instead of benefiting the elimination of the virus, it prevents that the autophagy process necessary to eliminate it is triggered.
Thus, although TNFα has beneficial effects on the body, it can also be detrimental to autophagy.
"We found that this molecule, widely known for its benefits in the immune response, was also detrimental to the cell because it favored viral replication," explains Professor Mulero.
"The results we have obtained open a new line of research based on verifying that it is this molecule that prevents the autophagic response and favors the multiplication of the virus instead of its elimination," says the UMU researcher.
The work is carried out by the Cellular Biology and Histology group of the UMU and the Murcian Institute of Biosanitary Research (IMIB).
The article is dedicated to Dr. Amparo Estepa, from Miguel Hernández University (Elche), "whose contribution has been fundamental and unfortunately is no longer among us," says Mulero.
Source: Universidad de Murcia
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