We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App





Virus-Fighting Enzymes in Bacteria Could Lead to Development of Highly Effective Antiviral Drugs Against COVID-19

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 23 Sep 2020
Print article
Image: The viperins in bacteria have evolved to fight a variety of viruses (Photo courtesy of Weizmann Institute of Science)
Image: The viperins in bacteria have evolved to fight a variety of viruses (Photo courtesy of Weizmann Institute of Science)
Virus-fighting viperins, part of the human immune system, which were previously known to exist only in mammals, have now been found in bacteria that could lead to the development of highly effective antiviral drugs for the treatment of COVID-19.

A group of scientists at the Molecular Genetics Department at the Weizmann Institute of Science (Rehovot, Israel) has uncovered a gold mine of antiviral substances made by virus-fighting enzymes known as viperins. The molecules produced by the bacterial viperins are currently undergoing testing against human viruses such as the influenza virus and COVID-19.

Earlier studies conducted by the group as well as other scientists have revealed that bacteria have highly sophisticated immune systems, despite their microscopic size. In particular, they are equipped to fight off phages - viruses that infect bacteria. These differ from the kind that infect humans in their choice of targets, but they all consist of genetic material - DNA or RNA - that hijacks parts of the host’s replication machinery to make copies of themselves and spread.

The group of scientists have now found that some of these bacterial immune responses suggest evolutionary links to our own immune systems, and the present study in their lab shows the strongest evidence yet: They discovered that viperin antiviral enzymes - whose function in the human immune system was understood only two years ago - play a role in the immune system of bacteria.

In humans, viperin belongs to the innate immune system, the oldest part of the immune system in terms of evolution. It is produced when a signaling substance called interferon alerts the immune system to the presence of pathogenic viruses. The viperin then releases a special molecule that is able to act against a broad range of viruses with one simple rule: The molecule “mimics” nucleotides, bits of genetic material needed to replicate their genomes. But the viperin molecule is fake: It is missing a vital piece that enables the next nucleotide in the growing strand to attach. Once the faux-nucleotide is inserted into the replicating viral genome, replication comes to a halt and the virus dies.

This simplicity and broad action against many different viruses suggested viperins had been around for some time, but could they go back as far as our common ancestors with bacteria? The group used techniques that had been developed in their lab to detect bacterial sequences encoding possible viperins. They then showed that these viperins did, indeed, protect bacteria against phage infection. Based on the genetic sequences, the team was able to trace the evolutionary history of viperins. If the bacterial viperins prove effective against human viruses, then it may pave the way for the discovery of further molecules generated by bacterial immune systems that could be adopted as antiviral drugs for human diseases. Further studies are underway to determine which of the bacterial viperins could be best adapted to fighting human viruses, including, of course, COVID-19.

“As we did decades ago with antibiotics - antibacterial substances that were first discovered in fungi and bacteria - we might learn how to identify and adopt the antiviral strategies of organisms that have been fighting infection for hundreds of millions of years,” said Prof. Rotem Sorek from the Institute’s Molecular Genetics Department.

Related Links:
Weizmann Institute of Science

Gold Member
POC Blood Gas Analyzer
Stat Profile Prime Plus
Gold Member
12-Channel ECG
CM1200B
Silver Member
Compact 14-Day Uninterrupted Holter ECG
NR-314P
New
Vein Illuminator
VSI

Print article

Channels

Critical Care

view channel
Image: Researchers have developed an advanced shear-thinning hydrogel for aneurysm repair (Photo courtesy of TIBI)

New Hydrogel Features Enhanced Capabilities for Treating Aneurysms and Halting Progression

Aneurysms can develop in blood vessels in different body areas, often as a result of atherosclerosis, infections, inflammatory diseases, and other risk factors. These conditions lead to chronic inflammation,... Read more

Surgical Techniques

view channel
Image: The living replacement knee will be tested in clinical trials within five years (Photo courtesy of ARPA-H)

Living Knee Replacement to Revolutionize Osteoarthritis Treatment

Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent type of arthritis, characterized by the progressive deterioration of cartilage, or the protective tissue covering the bone ends, resulting in pain, stiffness, and impaired... Read more

Patient Care

view channel
Image: The newly-launched solution can transform operating room scheduling and boost utilization rates (Photo courtesy of Fujitsu)

Surgical Capacity Optimization Solution Helps Hospitals Boost OR Utilization

An innovative solution has the capability to transform surgical capacity utilization by targeting the root cause of surgical block time inefficiencies. Fujitsu Limited’s (Tokyo, Japan) Surgical Capacity... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The new eye-safe laser technology can diagnose traumatic brain injury (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Novel Diagnostic Hand-Held Device Detects Known Biomarkers for Traumatic Brain Injury

The growing need for prompt and efficient diagnosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI), a major cause of mortality globally, has spurred the development of innovative diagnostic technologies.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.