News Releases & Research Results A new mitochondrial function that controls responses to viral infection - Regulation of antiviral responses by sensing intracellular energy status -

News Releases & Research Results

Outline

The results of research conducted by Specially appointed researcher Yuki Hanada and Professor Naotada Ishihara of the Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University and Professor Masatoshi Nomura of Kurume University School of Medicine.

The key results of research are as follows:

  • Membrane protein “Mff” present on the outer mitochondrial membrane was found to be involved in the responses to RNA virus infection.
  • The Mff protein was demonstrated to sense energy status on the mitochondria and regulate antiviral responses. Thus, the mitochondrial mechanism of detecting viral infection, a long-term mystery, was partially elucidated.
  • The results of this research project should facilitate the development of therapeutic methods such as preventing the aggravation of viral infection by targeting mitochondria.

This project was conducted with the support of the Advanced Research and Development Programs for Medical Innovation (AMED-CREST) by AMED.

The results were published in the American scientific journal Nature Communications on November 11.

Article

Hanada Y., et al. MAVS is energized by Mff which senses mitochondrial metabolism via AMPK for acute antiviral immunity Nature Communications
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19287-7

11/11/20

Last updated 11/11/20