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K-State Today

September 4, 2018

Friedemann Weber to present BRI Research Fellows Lecture/DMP Seminar on Sept. 6

Submitted by Doris Merrill

Friedemann Weber, director and chair of the Institute for Virology, Veterinary Medicine at Justus-Liebig University in Giessen, Germany, will present a seminar co-sponsored by the Marty Vanier and Bob Krause Biosecurity Research Institute Research Fellows Program and the dagnostic medicine/pathobiology department in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Weber will present "Induction and Suppression of the Interferon Response by Segmented Negative-Strand RNA Viruses" at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6, in the Lecture Hall of the Biosecurity Research Institute in Pat Roberts Hall, 1900 Denison. Refreshments will be served at 3:30 p.m.

Presentation abstract: Type I interferons (IFN-alpha/beta) are among the first cytokines produced in response to virus infection. They stimulate the expression of genes that have immunoregulatory or antiviral activity. In our group, we investigate the interplay between the IFN system and negative-stranded RNA viruses with a segmented genome (s-NSVs) (e.g. influenza virus (family Orthomyxoviridae), or Rift Valley fever virus (family Phenuiviridae)). On one hand, we study how cellular sensor proteins recognize virus-specific RNA structures and activate the signaling chain leading to IFN induction. On the other hand, we are elucidating the astonishing variety of strategies by which viruses inhibit the IFN response. Viral proteins, the so-called IFN antagonists, can disturb or even completely block all stages of the IFN response, e.g. IFN induction, IFN signaling, or expression or action of antiviral genes.

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