Dissecting host cell death programs in the pathogenesis of influenza

Publication date: Available online 18 April 2018
Source:Microbes and Infection
Author(s): Jeffrey Downey, Erwan Pernet, François Coulombe, Maziar Divangahi
Influenza A virus (IAV) is a pulmonary pathogen, responsible for significant yearly morbidity and mortality. Due to the absence of highly effective antiviral therapies and vaccine, as well as the constant threat of an emerging pandemic strain, there is considerable need to better understand the host-pathogen interactions and the factors that dictate a protective versus detrimental immune response to IAV. Even though evidence of IAV-induced cell death in human pulmonary epithelial and immune cells has been observed for almost a century, very little is known about the consequences of cell death on viral pathogenesis. Recent study indicates that both the type of cell death program and its kinetics have major implications on host defense and survival. In this review, we focus on cell death programs induced in influenza-infected cells and provide insight into its the immunological consequences, in hopes of fostering new areas of investigation for targeted clinical intervention.



https://ift.tt/2HLLbN6