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UT Researchers Study the Mysterious Interplay between Ticks, Viruses, and Immunity

July 15, 2024

The Blade (7.1.2024) published the article, “UT researchers study the mysterious interplay between ticks, viruses, and immunity.” Matthew Hathaway is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Toledo, conducting research in Dr. Travis Taylor’s laboratory for treatment methods of the Powassan virus, a tick-borne illness. Ticks can now be found worldwide and have been spreading across the United States, bringing diseases like Lyme disease, Powassan virus, and newly discovered ones such as the Bourbon virus, which was discovered back in 2014.

An increasing number of illnesses that originate from ticks have been found in more areas of the United States. Lyme disease has spread from the northeastern parts of the US into the Midwest, with Powassan virus spreading from the US into Canada. Climate change has increased tick activity, and combined with more outdoor activities by individuals, it has heightened the risk of tick interactions and tick-borne illnesses.

This has led to an increasing need for treatments for Lyme and tick-borne diseases.

Many of those who survive Powassan virus will continue to have severe long-term effects, including encephalitis, memory issues, and mobility problems. There is currently no known treatment or vaccine for Powassan virus. Matthew has discovered that flaviviruses like Powassan virus exploit a host protein called TRAF6 to enhance virus replication. Normally, TRAF6 activates the immune system to fight infection, but flaviviruses use it to increase their numbers in the host, worsening the disease.

The lab found that preventing the interaction between the virus and TRAF6 could reduce virus replication, although this isn’t yet translatable into clinical treatments. They are now investigating how ubiquitination, a cellular process involving protein modification, contributes to this interaction. Ubiquitination works by attaching a small protein called ubiquitin to other proteins, which form chains of ubiquitin between other proteins. It then can communicate with other cells, for example, to mark a protein for destruction. The goal of this research is to find ways to allow TRAF6 to function normally while decreasing virus replication, potentially aiding in the development of treatments and vaccines for flaviviruses like Powassan virus.

For More Information:

Read The Blade Article here.