Virus News and Research

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A virus is a microscopic infectious agent that can reproduce only inside a host cell. Viruses infect all types of organisms: from animals and plants, to bacteria and archaea. Since the initial discovery of tobacco mosaic virus by Martinus Beijerinck in 1898, more than 5,000 types of virus have been described in detail, although most types of virus remain undiscovered. Viruses are ubiquitous, as they are found in almost every ecosystem on Earth, and are the most abundant type of biological entity on the planet. The study of viruses is known as virology, and is a branch of microbiology.

Cellular RNA as a Key Modulator of Mitochondrial Antiviral Signaling

Scientists have uncovered a new role for a cell's own RNA in fending off attacks by RNA viruses. Some of the cell's RNA molecules, researchers found, help regulate antiviral signaling. These signals are part of the intricate coordination of immune responses against virus invasion.

20 Dec 2024

New Virus Found to Alter Cell Machinery in Eukaryotic Cells

Julie Thomy, lead author of the study and postdoctoral researcher in the Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE) and Department of Oceanography in the UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST)

18 Dec 2024

Researchers Map Influenza Virus RNA Protective Coat at Atomic Level

To fight the virus that causes influenza, one of the avenues being explored by scientists is the development of drugs capable of destabilizing its genome, made up of eight RNA molecules.

17 Dec 2024

Targeting Cancer with Nanoparticle-Delivered Gene Therapy

Scientists are literally shining a laser on the energy centers of cancer cells in an attempt to harm these sources of power and cause widespread cancer cell death.

16 Dec 2024

Exosome-Mediated Immune Escape and Tumor Growth in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The TIME is a dynamic network composed of cancer cells, immune cells, and stromal components. During the early stages of tumorigenesis, the TIME attempts to eliminate abnormal cells through immune surveillance.

12 Dec 2024

CSIRO, Oxitec to Tackle Disease-Spreading Mosquitoes Threatening Mainland Australia

A new venture, Oxitec Australia, is taking on two of the deadliest virus-carrying mosquitos in the Pacific region – Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus – to fight the spread of diseases like dengue, Zika, and yellow fever, which claims hundreds of thousands of lives globally each year.

10 Dec 2024

Novel Approach to Monitor ER-Related Protein Quality Control

Protein synthesis in eukaryotic cells found in plants, animals, and fungi involves more than just the straightforward ribosome assembly of amino acids.

9 Dec 2024

Single Mutation Could Make H5N1 Bird Flu More Dangerous to Humans

Avian influenza viruses typically require several mutations to adapt and spread among humans, but what happens when just one change can increase the risk of becoming a pandemic virus?

6 Dec 2024

Unveiling the Hidden Role of Deep-Sea Viruses in Global Climate Dynamics

The significance of deep-sea virology and its impacts on global climate and biogeochemical structures is not unknown, though its importance might be understated.

4 Dec 2024

Unmasking the Molecular Mechanisms of Hepatitis B Virus Entry

An infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV), which is spread by blood or bodily fluids, is one of the main causes of chronic liver diseases. The World Health Organization reports that there are 1.2 million new HBV infections worldwide each year.

4 Dec 2024

LysoTRAP Strategy Offers Hope for Clearing Viral Infections Across Variants

Researchers from the Institute of Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have recently developed a novel lysosomal strategy for clearing viruses and their variants.

28 Nov 2024

Study Reveals Mystery Behind Extra Genes in Coronaviruses

Viruses are lean, mean, infection machines. Their genomes are tiny, usually limited to a handful of absolutely essential genes, and they shed extra genomic deadweight extremely fast.

20 Nov 2024

Hepatitis E Virus Impairs Neuronal Cells, Reducing Neurite Length

For the first time, scientists can examine the effects of hepatitis E viruses on nerve cells using a novel cell model.

19 Nov 2024

Scientists Capture Viral Infection Process Using Light Microscope

The COVID-19 pandemic led to heightened public interest in learning about viruses and how they can cause diseases.

15 Nov 2024

SARS-CoV-2 Outwits Immune System, Prolonging Infection

SARS-CoV-2 inhibits the function of the complement system, a crucial element of early antiviral immunity, by hijacking three crucial host proteins, according to research from the Medical Universities of Vienna and Innsbruck.

11 Nov 2024

Scientists Discover a Hidden Ally in the Fight Against Cancer

An intracellular sensor that tracks the quality of so-called MHC-I molecules which aid the immune system in identifying and eliminating dangerous cells, including tumor cells has been discovered by a global team headed by Goethe University Frankfurt.

7 Nov 2024

A New Understanding of Viral Infection

Scientists studying animal viruses with the potential to infect humans have discovered a critical protein that could facilitate the spread of a family of organisms known as arteriviruses.

1 Nov 2024

Unveiling the Molecular Mechanisms of CRISPR-Cas10's Cellular Shutdown

CRISPR-Cas9 can elegantly and precisely cut away any desired region of DNA and has long been compared to a type of genetic scissors.

29 Oct 2024

The Dangers of Zoonotic Diseases

According to a recent study published in Nature, mice and ferrets infected in a high-containment laboratory setting died from a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus that was isolated from the eye of a farm worker who contracted the virus from contact with dairy cows.

29 Oct 2024

New Insights into How TRIM25 Fights RNA Viruses

Human bodies are attacked every single second of every day. The invading agents include bacteria, viruses, parasites, and toxins both living and non-living things that could impair how well bodies work.

25 Oct 2024