New research from scientists at the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine and Duke University describes how cellular RNA helps regulate antiviral signaling as part of the immune response against viral infections. Details are published in a new Science paper titled, “Cellular RNA interacts with MAVS to promote antiviral signaling.” The scientists say that the findings highlight the potential for developing RNA-based therapeutics that target infections and autoimmunity.
Before this study, researchers knew that RNA interactions could modify protein complexes by serving as guides, chaperones, or scaffolds. What was unclear was how RNA influences the formation and function of immune signaling. As Ram Savan, PhD, senior investigator on the study and professor of immunology at UW School of Medicine,…