News: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru decoded how the Encephalomyocarditis Virus (EMCV) hijacks the host's protein synthesis machinery.

About

• EMCV is a rodent-borne RNA virus that can cause heart inflammation (myocarditis), brain inflammation (encephalitis) and neurological disorders.
• Since viruses lack their own protein-making machinery, they depend on host cells for replication.

Key Highlights

• IISc discovered that EMCV uses Internal Ribosome Entry Sites (IRES) to directly recruit the host's ribosomes for viral protein synthesis.
• Researchers used cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) to reveal the molecular mechanism of this hijacking.
• The study was published in the journal eLife.

Significance

• Provides new insights into how RNA viruses replicate.
• Opens avenues for developing antiviral drugs targeting the IRES-mediated translation mechanism.
• Findings may also help combat other viruses (e.g., poliovirus) that use similar mechanisms.