Researchers discover how Zika virus remodels its host cell to boost viral production

(Rockefeller University Press) Researchers in China have discovered how a Zika virus protein reshapes its host cell to aid viral replication. The study, which will be published Dec. 23 in the Journal of Cell Biology, reveals that the viral protein NS1 converts an interior cellular compartment called the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) into a protective region where the virus can survive and replicate. Blocking this process could be a novel therapeutic strategy to treat patients infected with Zika or similar viral pathogens.
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news