Sendai virus defends against a threat

A research group at Hiroshima University demonstrated the mechanism by which the Sendai virus (SeV) escapes the host immune system. The researchers examined the crystal structure of the complex of SeV C protein and transcription factor STAT1, and found that SeV C protein inhibits the signal transduction pathway of interferon gamma. This discovery will allow the design of drugs that can be used to overcome recover from damage caused by interferon, wherein the drug acts by inhibiting the binding between C protein and STAT1. Researchers are now trying to screen low molecular weight compounds for developing new anti-viral drugs. SeV, a prototype of the paramyxovirus, causes respiratory diseases in rodents. The paramyxovirus family includes virus that cause important diseases in humans and animals, such as measles virus, mumps virus, human parainfluenza virus, human respiratory syncytial virus, canine distemper virus, Newcastle disease virus, and Nipah virus. SeV has unique C proteins, which are basically nonessential...