September 10, 2009

Weekly News UpdateResearchers Find H1N1 Flu Virus Able To Infect Lung Cells

Researchers at Imperial College London have determined that, unlike the seasonal flu, the H1N1 flu virus is able to infect cells deep within the lungs, which potentially can lead to serious lung infections. The scientists believe this is one reason why H1N1 fly infections commonly have more severe symptoms than seasonal flu infections.

In their research, the scientists used a method called a carbohydrate microarray to determine to which receptors the two different viruses are able to connect. In this method, a glass surface was covered with 86 different receptors. The researchers then added the viruses to the glass surface. A "lit up" surface indicated that a virus was able to bind with a receptor.

The H1N1 flu virus. (Photo credit: C. S. Goldsmith and A. Balish / CDC)

Like most viruses, the flu virus infects cells by attaching to receptors on the outside of the cell. After connecting to a cell, the virus enters the cell and takes over the cell's functions and manufactures more copies of the virus. The cell then lyses (bursts), and the new virus copies infect nearby cells, continuing the process. The seasonal flu virus is able to infect (that is, attach onto receptors on) cells in the nose, throat, and upper airway of the respiratory system. The H1Ni flu virus is also able to attach to cells in these same areas. However, in contrast, to the seasonal flu virus, the H1N1 virus can also attach onto cell receptors located deep in the lungs.

The researchers discovered that the H1N1 virus's attachment to cells in the lungs is a weak bond. They think this is one reason why not everyone who is infected by the virus experience severe lung problems. However, the scientists worry that a mutation could make the virus better able to attach to receptors in the lungs, leading to more cases of severe lung infections.

Results of the scientists' research was published in the September 2009 issue of the journal Nature Biotechnology. The research was funded in part by the Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Council, and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

More to Explore

• Robert A Childs, Angelina S Palma, Steve Wharton, Tatyana Matrosovich, Yan Liu, Wengang Chai, Maria A Campanero-Rhodes, Yibing Zhang, Markus Eickmann, Makoto Kiso, et al. Nature Biotechnology 27, 797-799 (September 2009) doi:10.1038/nbt0909-797
• Pandemic flu can infect cells deep in the lungs, says new research
• Carbohydrate Microarrays
• H1N1 Flu and You
• Know What To Do About the Flu

Last updated September 10, 2009 | Comments (1) | Permalink | Weekly News Update