Grant: CIHR Fellowship

Recently, the breakout of the pandemic infection swine flu (infA/H1N1, 2009), as well as the deadly avian flu (infA/H5-like, 2007), have had serious impacts on the general public. It is crucial to increase our speed and accuracy in identifying these viral infections in order to promote effective public health services, as well as to aid in the discovery of the necessary antiviral drugs needed to stop these infections. Due to the growing viral infection and resistance problems we face globally, it has become an urgent health need to search for an alternative infA virus identification method to combat both concerns. MicroRNA (miRNA) is a recently discovered, small-sized bio-molecule that appears to be involved in the life cycle/pathogenesis of infA virus and host-virus interactions. Many studies suggest that secretory miRNAs circulate freely in human body fluids. Dr. Jean's team has recently discovered that secretory miRNA profiles are significantly changed upon infA infection (infA/H1N1 and deadly infA/H5-like viruses) in human cells. (Loveday, E.K. et al. 29th Annual Meeting, ASV. 2010.). This research demonstrates for the first time the complex and strain-specific regulation of miRNAs in response to infA infections. Based on this information, we propose that miRNA profile changes of infA-infected cells can trigger miRNA profile changes of neighbouring cells via exosomes (membrane-like vehicles that transport miRNAs intercellularly) that contain modified miRNA cargo. We propose that this unique intercellular communication event plays a novel and important role in complex infA virus biology and pathogenesis. This proposed study will help us better understand the fundamental biology of how secretory miRNAs function and are regulated in pandemic H1N1 infA pathogenesis. This will, in turn, help provide alternative ways to design antiviral programs to combat the problems of increasing infA infections and conventional drug-resistance.