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Scientists look for West Nile virus immunity gene
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Genetic research may result in identifying an immunity or lack thereof to West Nile virus, a
Georgia State University professor said during the equine session of the 2007 International
Conference on the Status of Plant and Animal Genome Research in San Diego.
Andrey Perelygin was the presenting author of "Characterization of equine innate immunity
genes potentially involved in West Nile virus susceptibility." The work arose from Perelygin's
previous research on mice.
"Five years ago we discovered a mutation in a mouse," Perelygin said.
West Nile virus is a flavivirus similar to yellow fever. It can induce a variety of manifestations
ranging from no symptoms to severe central nervous system damage. Approximately 40
percent of equine West Nile Virus cases result in the death of the horse.
Although West Nile virus did not occur in the United States until 1999, research on flaviviral
resistance in mice had been published by 1923. Research published in 1952 indicated that
resistance to the yellow fever virus in mice was controlled by a single autosomal dominant
allele (a gene contains one allele from each parent. A recessive allele provides the trait only if
both alleles of the gene contain that trait while only one dominant allele triggers that allele's
trait).
Perelygin's 2002 work focused on an oligodenylate synthase gene. All of the mice carrying a
specific allele died of West Nile virus. Subsequent research has also been conducted on
mice, as well as one published study involving the CCR5 receptor gene for humans. That
CCR5 gene was part of the equine research project as well as three additional receptors,
three synthases, and three other genes. Eight of those 10 genes were mapped to individual
horse chromosomes, and 54 mutations were identified.
Perelygin's equine project involved grants from the Morris Animal Foundation, the Center for
Disease Control, and the Southeastern Center for Emerging Biological Threats. Funding
considerations will determine Perelygin's future research projects.
"It's very problematic now to get funding, because funding is very low now," he said.
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