Dengue virus protein alters blood vessel surface, makes it leaky

The major symptom of severe dengue disease is leakage of blood plasma out of small blood vessels, which can lead to shock and death. A study published on July 14th in PLOS Pathogens suggests that the dengue virus (DENV) protein NS1 can disrupt the innermost layer of blood vessels and make them more permeable. DENV nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) is the only viral protein secreted from infected host cells, with high concentrations found in the blood of patients with severe dengue disease. NS1 has multiple functions in virus replication and its interaction with the human immune system. More recently, several research teams have found that NS1 can make blood vessels more permeable and cause blood vessel (or ‘vascular’) leakage. One of these groups, led by Eva Harris of the University of California in Berkeley, USA, conducted the present study to investigate how NS1 disrupts the blood vessel barrier. Because in severe dengue...