Researchers studied the Argonaute family of proteins and examined each protein’s antiviral effects. They found that cells that were deficient in Argonaute 4, one of the proteins, were “hyper-susceptible” to viral infections.
The research suggests that boosting Argonaute 4 protein levels could help the immune system protect against multiple viruses and lack of the protein is a potential “Achilles heel” for viruses that infect the human body.
“The goal is to understand how our immune system works so we can create treatments that work against a range of viruses, rather than just vaccines against a particular one,” Kate L. Jeffrey, PhD, lead researcher on the project.
Researchers published their findings in Cell Reports.
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