Herpesvirus-mediated regulatory mechanism of cellular phosphorylation events

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17H05069
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Virology
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Kato Akihisa 東京大学, 医科学研究所, 准教授 (40581187)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 単純ヘルペスウイルス / mTOR / TLR3 / MAPK / ERK / ヘルペス脳炎 / 細胞間伝播

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we investigated whether viral replication and/or virulence are regulated by herpesvirus-induced cellular phosphorylation events. We found that (i) the TLR3/mTOR axis contributed to the innate immune response against herpes simplex virus in the central nervous system of mice and (ii) the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway was involved in the cell-to-cell spread of representative members from all herpesvirus subfamilies. Collectively, these results reveal an important role of cellular phosphorylation in the life cycle of herpesviruses, thereby opening up possibilities for new therapeutic strategies against these viral pathogens.

Free Research Field

ウイルス学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

周知の通り、宿主キナーゼは極めて有望な創薬標的分子であることから、本研究成果は、ヘルペスウイルス感染症の克服に目掛けた重要な基礎的知見となることが期待される。また、数多くのウイルスが効率的な増殖に宿主キナーゼを利用することから、本研究で確立した研究手法や得られた知見は、他のウイルス研究にもフィードバックが可能であると考えられる。