Science unexpectedly discovered that stem cells can resist viruses like plants and insects

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have discovered a crucial mechanism that protects mammalian stem cells from infection by RNA viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and Zika virus

After the virus infects the host, it enters the cell to replicate

In their research published today (July 8) in the journal Science, scientists analyzed the genetic material of mouse stem cells and found that they contained instructions to build a protein called antiviral Dicer (aviD).

Caetano Reis e Sousa, author and team leader of the Immunobiology Laboratory at Crick University, said: "It is interesting to study how stem cells protect themselves from RNA viruses

"Through learning more about this process and revealing the secrets of our immune system, we hope to open up new possibilities for drug development and use our body's natural ability to fight infection

In laboratory experiments, when engineered human cells were exposed to SARS-CoV-2, when aviD was present in the cells, the virus infected stem cells three times less than when the researchers removed the protein

Scientists have also cultivated mini brain organoids from mouse embryonic stem cells and found that compared with organoids without this protein, organoids with aviD grow faster after being infected with Zika virus, resulting in a virus Less material

Enzo Poirier, an author and postdoctoral fellow in the Immunobiology Laboratory of Crick University, said: “Why stem cells use this different defense mechanism is still a mystery

The researchers will continue this work to establish a mouse model that will enable them to further study the role and importance of aviD in mammalian stem cells

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Poirier, EZ et al.