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Using Resurrected Ancestral Proviral Proteins to Engineer Virus Resistance
Asunción Delgado1, Rocio Arco1, Beatriz Ibarra-Molero1
1Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Quimica Fisica, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain.
Cell Reports
|May 13, 2017
Summary
Researchers engineered virus resistance by resurrecting ancient proteins. Precambrian thioredoxins in E. coli blocked bacteriophage T7 replication, suggesting a novel strategy for developing antiviral therapies and crop protection.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Virology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Viruses rely on host proviral factors for replication.
- Co-evolution between pathogens and hosts presents opportunities for novel resistance strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate proof of concept for engineering virus resistance using ancestral proteins.
- To investigate the potential of Precambrian thioredoxins in preventing viral propagation.
Main Methods:
- Laboratory resurrection of Precambrian thioredoxin variants.
- Functional assessment of ancestral thioredoxins in Escherichia coli.
- Testing the susceptibility of engineered E. coli to bacteriophage T7 infection.
Main Results:
- Resurrected Precambrian thioredoxins exhibited significant functionality in E. coli.
- Ancestral thioredoxins were not efficiently recruited by bacteriophage T7.
- This inefficient recruitment prevented phage propagation in E. coli.
Conclusions:
- Engineering virus resistance by replacing proviral factors with functional ancestral forms is feasible.
- Ancestral proteins offer a promising avenue for developing novel antiviral strategies.
- The approach has potential applications in engineering plant virus resistance for agriculture.
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