Viral Contacts

A leading cause of respiratory diseases, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is often responsible for cases of pneumonia and bronchitis in children. Recent research suggests that this virus manipulates host cells to increase its spread within a patient. The virus’ F-protein acts to increase the movement of infected cells and promote the growth of filopodia, thin cellular protrusions which contact neighbouring cells, allowing the virus to move between them. Pictured, virus particles (in green) travel along filopodia (visible in red) from an infected cell, on the left, to the surface of another. This process also depends on a host protein, ARP2, which associates with actin, a key component of the cytoskeleton, determining the shape and growth of cellular extensions. Eliminating ARP2 reduces the movement of infected cells, the development of filopodia and the spread of RSV, making the interaction between RSV and ARP2 a potential target for future treatments.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

Emmanuelle Briolat

Writer

A researcher specialising in visual signals in Lepidoptera, camouflage and the effects of light pollution, Emmanuelle’s writing covers a range of topics, from biomedical research to children’s books about moth defences.

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• Image by Sundar Ganesan, Margery Smelkinson, and Juraj Kabat, and Masfique Mehedi, NIH NIAID, Bethesda, MD, USA
• RNA Viruses Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
• Image originally published under a Creative Commons Licence (BY 4.0)
• Research published in PLOS Pathogens, December 2016