Ebola-fighting protein discovered in human cells

Ebola virus (green) infects human cells much more easily when you remove the protective RBBP6 protein (compare left to right). Drug that mimics function of protein could one day become an effective therapy to fight Ebola virus Researchers have discovered a human protein that helps fight theEbola virus and could one day lead to an effective therapy against the deadly disease, according to a new study from Northwestern University, Georgia State University, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and the Gladstone Institutes published, Dec. 13, in the journal Cell. The newly discovered ability of the human protein RBBP6 to interfere with Ebola virus replication suggests new ways to fight the infection. As viruses develop and evolve proteins to bypass the body’s immune defenses, human cells in turn develop defense mechanisms against those viruses — an evolutionary arms race that has been ongoing for millions of years. This particular defense mechanism has therapeutic potential, said co-lead...