Hyderabad, Oct. 22 -- Scientists at the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB), Hyderabad, have discovered a key mechanism through which human cells detect viral infections and activate the body's immune defence system.
The study, led by Dr Santosh Chauhan's group, identifies DZIP3 as a dual-action protein that detects viral RNA and activates immune defence mechanisms. The findings have been published in The EMBO Journal.
According to the researchers, DZIP3 changes its shape when it detects viral RNA inside a cell and moves to the mitochondria, where it activates key immune proteins. This triggers the release of Type I interferons, which help prevent viruses from multiplying.
The team demonstrated that this pathway pr...