Breakthrough in herpes, Zika study

WASHINGTON: Scientists who studied herpes viruses found a potential broad-spectrum antiviral that may be effective against a variety of viruses, including Zika, according to a study published this week in the US journal mBio.

Two-thirds of the global population are infected with herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), and at least 500 million are infected with HSV-2, according to the World Health Organisation. These viruses cause a range of diseases and conditions.

“After herpes viruses infect a cell, their genomes are assembled into specialised protein structures called nucelosomes,” said the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

“Many cellular enzyme complexes can modulate these structures to either promote or inhibit the progression of infection.”

In a study on how one of these complexes, EZH2/1, regulated herpes virus infection, scientists “unexpectedly” found that inhibiting EZH2/1 suppressed viral infection in mice.

The NIAID then demonstrated that EZH2/1 inhibitors also suppressed human cytomegalovirus, adenovirus, and Zika virus infections in cell culture using human primary fibroblast cell lines.

Thomas Kristie, who led the study, speculated EZH2/EZH1 inhibitors could boost an individual’s innate immunity to emerging viruses or drug-resistant viruses. – ANA-Xinhua