New dengue viral host genes identified

SINGAPORE, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Singaporean scientists have identified new host genes linked with the dengue virus, possibly leading to creation of drugs to treat the disease.

Researchers at the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases and the Genome Institute of Singapore, led by Subhash Vasudevan and Martin Hibberd, used microarray technology to identify the ways in which humans interact with the dengue virus during infection.

From the activated genes, the researchers identified three pathways common to in vitro and in vivo infection -- the NF-kappaB initiated immune pathway, the type I interferon pathway and the ubiquitin proteasome pathway.

They next found inhibiting the ubiquitin proteasome pathway -- or activating the type I interferon pathway -- resulted in significant inhibition of viral replication, whereas inhibiting the NF-kappaB initiated immune pathway had no effect on viral replication.

The findings, said the scientists, suggest that drugs targeting the host pathways might prove effective against dengue.

The research is detailed in the journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.