Grant: Project Grant

The threat posed by viruses to global human health is alarming. Enteroviruses cause numerous diseases ranging from encephalitis, paralysis, and acute flaccid myelitis to respiratory illness. Recent large outbreaks of enteroviruses in North America and Europe foreshadow future pandemics. Like all viruses, enteroviruses use the host mRNA translational machinery to produce their proteins during infection and shut off host mRNA translation. However, a small subset of mRNAs retain their ability to translate. Therefore, it is imperative to study the extent and mechanism of regulation of host mRNA translation during infection. To this end, we profiled the translation landscape of cells during infection with three enteroviruses. For the first time, we identified novel host mRNAs which are translated during enterovirus infection despite the general translation shut-off. We will investigate the role of the new proteins in promoting virus replication and their mode of translation. We also aim to gain knowledge of host immunity against virus infections and uncover new antiviral targets.