Antiviral Protein Protects Against Herpes Inflammation in the Brain
Brain inflammation caused by the herpes virus is a rare but serious condition. Researchers have now identified an antiviral protein that protects the brain from this virus. The discovery was made by a team led by Sören Riis Paludan, a researcher affiliated with the Institute of Medicine, and is published in the scientific journal Nature.
Herpes viruses infect the nervous system and is a virus that most of us carry. The virus exists in two forms: Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1, which often causes cold sores, and Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2, which primarily causes genital herpes.
In rare cases, the herpes virus can reach the brain and cause inflammation, known as herpes simplex encephalitis. It is a very rare but serious condition that affects 20–40 people in Sweden each year. Knowledge about why the disease develops in the affected individual, while others remain healthy carriers, is lacking.
Prevents the Virus from Replicating
Researchers can now show that the protein TMEFF1 is part of the brain’s defense against Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1. TMEFF1 is a protein that is normally produced in brain neurons, and which the new study shows resists herpes virus infection. TMEFF1 specifically acts to protect neurons, which are the crucial type of cell in the brain.
The discovery was made using CRISPR screening, commonly known as “genetic scissors,” where the entire genome can be examined, and the different functions of genes can be mapped.
The research is published in two articles in the scientific journal Nature. The first article is based on studies of the genome, both in human cells and in mice. The second article is a case study of two individuals who had herpes-induced brain inflammation as children and who had a deleterious gene variants of TMEFF1.
Important to Understand the Brain's Immune Defense
Sören Riis Paludan is the corresponding author of the first study. He is a world-leading expert on the innate immune system, with a particular interest in how the body protects itself against viral infections in the nervous system.
“The brain is very sensitive to damage caused by infection and inflammation, and we need more knowledge about how the immune system in the brain works. Our research is important, not only for developing better treatments against herpes virus infections but also on a broader level. Not least to investigate whether there is a connection between viral infections in the brain and diseases characterized by neurodegeneration, such as Alzheimer's disease,” he says.
Sören Riis Paludan is a professor at Aarhus University, affiliated with the Division of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research at the Institute of Medicine. He is also a former guest professor at the University of Gothenburg.
TEXT: KARIN ALLANDER | PHOTO: AARHUS UNIVERSITETET
Studies in Nature:
- TMEFF1 is a neuron-specific restriction factor for herpes simplex virus
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07670-z - Human TMEFF1 is a restriction factor for herpes simplex virus in the brain
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07745-x