Scientists decoded how flu viruses replicate within Infected Cells

Scientists  in the fourth week of November 2012 decoded how flu viruses replicate within infected cells, which could be used in the development of potent vaccines. The study done by the scientists explained the flu virus replication machinery.

Scientists used advance molecular biology and electron-microscopy techniques to see one of influenza's essential protein complexes in detail. They focused on influenza’s ribonucleoprotein (RNP). RNPs contained the genetic material of virus and the special enzyme that is required by the virus to replicate itself.

Any influenza virus contains eight RNPs in its core. RNPs are important to the virus’s ability to survive and spread in its hosts. Each RNP contains a single protein which is the coding gene of the RNA-based viral genome. The viral RNA segment is coated with protective viral nucleoproteins and its structure resembles a twisted loop of chain. The free ends of this twisted loop are held by a flu-virus polymerase enzyme, which is entrusted with two important tasks of viral reproduction-1) making new viral genomic RNA  2)making the RNA gene-transcripts that will develop into new viral proteins. It would be interesting to know how the flu polymerase and the rest of the RNP interact.

The only flu RNPs reproduced in the laboratory, were shortened versions whose structures didn’t match those of native flu RNPs. Still, Scientists developed a test-cell expression system which produced all of the protein and RNA components required to make full-length flu RNPs. The discovery enabled Scientists to analyse molecular samples more easily.