• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Saturday, August 2, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Immunology

Researchers show how Ebola virus hijacks host lipids

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
February 18, 2020
in Immunology
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

The VP40 protein, encoded by one of Ebola’s seven genes, has a region that is crucial for binding to the human lipid, phosphatidylserine; FDA approved drugs that disrupt this interaction inhibit Ebola infection in cell culture

IMAGE

Credit: Image courtesy of Robert Stahelin.


SAN DIEGO, CA – Robert Stahelin studies some of the world’s deadliest viruses. Filoviruses, including Ebola virus and Marburg virus, cause viral hemorrhagic fever with high fatality rates. Stahelin, professor at Purdue University, examines how these viruses take advantage of human host cells. His latest research, which he will present on Wednesday, February 19 at the 64th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society in San Diego, California, show how Ebola interacts with a human lipid and that FDA approved drugs that alter lipids block Ebola infection in cells.

Ebola virus causes a rare, often deadly, highly contagious, disease characterized by fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and internal bleeding. “I became interested in how these viruses are working in the body in a way that causes such harsh death,” Stahelin says. Filoviruses have lipid envelopes, they take those lipids from human cells during the infection. “I was intrigued that the virus could take human lipids and use it as its protective coat.”

For safety reasons Stahelin doesn’t work with Ebola virus itself, instead, he works with combinations of its seven genes so the virus can’t fully replicate. His latest focus has been on Ebola’s VP40 protein, encoded by one of the seven genes. “VP40 forms the virus’s matrix layer, a layer of protein beneath the lipid envelope. So it’s responsible for hijacking and taking the host lipid membrane to make the long viral envelope,” Stahelin explained.

Stahelin found that a part of the VP40 protein, which is made inside the host cell during infection, is important for binding to one human lipid in particular, known as phosphatidylserine or simply “PS.” Disrupting that part of VP40 reduced interactions with PS, and diminished its ability to form the viral envelope.

To see if targeting human PS might help against Ebola virus infection, Stahelin found two FDA-approved drugs that alter cellular lipid distribution–one approved for blood pressure and the other for schizophrenia treatment. Testing these drugs with live Ebola virus, in collaboration with a high-biosafety lab, shows that these drugs “were pretty good at blocking virus replication and spread in the cell culture model for the actual virus,” Stahelin said.

Though an effective Ebola vaccine was approved in December 2019, Stahelin said it is challenging to disseminate vaccines in Africa, where most Ebola outbreaks occur. And in the rare instances that an Ebola patient travels abroad before showing symptoms, it would helpful to have a prophylactic treatment for anyone exposed to the patient. “These drugs alone or in combination might be effective at blocking the virus in humans. You would probably take them after symptoms, or if people are exposed and unvaccinated,” Stahelin said.

###

Media Contact
Leann Fox
[email protected]
202-256-1417

Original Source

https://www.biophysics.org/news-room?ArtMID=802&ArticleID=9153&preview=true

Tags: Biomechanics/BiophysicsBiomedical/Environmental/Chemical EngineeringEpidemiologyGeneticsInfectious/Emerging DiseasesMedicine/HealthPublic HealthVaccinesVirology
Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

IMAGE

UMass Amherst grad student awarded fellowship for food allergy research

July 23, 2021
IMAGE

Less-sensitive COVID-19 tests may still achieve optimal results if enough people tested

July 22, 2021

Public trust in CDC, FDA, and Fauci holds steady, survey shows

July 20, 2021

USC study shows male-female differences in immune cell function

July 19, 2021
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • Blind to the Burn

    Overlooked Dangers: Debunking Common Myths About Skin Cancer Risk in the U.S.

    60 shares
    Share 24 Tweet 15
  • Dr. Miriam Merad Honored with French Knighthood for Groundbreaking Contributions to Science and Medicine

    46 shares
    Share 18 Tweet 12
  • Neuropsychiatric Risks Linked to COVID-19 Revealed

    38 shares
    Share 15 Tweet 10
  • Study Reveals Beta-HPV Directly Causes Skin Cancer in Immunocompromised Individuals

    38 shares
    Share 15 Tweet 10

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Unraveling EMT’s Role in Colorectal Cancer Spread

Gut γδ T17 Cells Drive Brain Inflammation via STING

Agent-Based Framework for Assessing Environmental Exposures

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.