Molecular Characterization of SV40 infection

Funded Activity Summary

Viral disease is a major health hazard in the modern world. SV40 is a relatively simple virus which must enter mammalian cells in order to replicate. As it does so, it causes the infected cell to divide and hence triggers tumour formation in the host. This proposal is aimed at understanding how SV40 enters cells, and then passes to the nucleus where it replicates. Most viruses have hijacked existing pathways into cells. For example, some viruses have used the pathway by which cells take up nutrients from the external medium. However, we have shown that SV40 uses a completely novel pathway involving surface pits called caveolae. The subsequent steps in the pathway are unknown and have been difficult to study. We have discovered a number of agents which inhibit infection by SV40. In this proposal we will characterise the infectious entry pathway by investigating exactly where in the cell these agents work. We will then isolate the virus from within the cell and attempt to reconstitute part of the viral entry pathway in vitro. These studies will provide insights into the entry pathway of the virus which may lead to new therapeutic strategies to combat viral disease. In addition, study of this pathway, leading from the cell surface to the nucleus, may provide new avenues for drug delivery and-or gene targetting.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2002

End Date: 01-01-2002

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $75,440.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Biochemistry And Cell Biology Not Elsewhere Classified

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

cancer | cell biology | endoplasmic reticulum | gene therapy | membrane transport | plasma membrane | viral infection | viral replication | viral-induced cancer/oncogenesis | virus entry and replication

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