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Scientists at Duke University have identified one kind of lung cell that can hustle to repair its damaged DNA and survive an attack of the influenza A virus while other kinds of cells around it die in droves.
The finding reveals more about the battle between cells and viruses at the smallest level, and also may provide some important clues for respiratory conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma.
The resilient cell is called a club cell and it's found in the narrowest airways just above the alveoli of the lungs where gases are exchanged in the blood, said Nicholas Heaton, an assistant professor of molecular genetics and microbiology in the Duke School of Medicine. The cell's normal function is to produce surfactants and secrete various other proteins that coat the lining of the lungs. Their functions during a viral infection however, have remained incompletely understood.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-07-lung-cell-patches-dna-survive.html
The finding reveals more about the battle between cells and viruses at the smallest level, and also may provide some important clues for respiratory conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma.
The resilient cell is called a club cell and it's found in the narrowest airways just above the alveoli of the lungs where gases are exchanged in the blood, said Nicholas Heaton, an assistant professor of molecular genetics and microbiology in the Duke School of Medicine. The cell's normal function is to produce surfactants and secrete various other proteins that coat the lining of the lungs. Their functions during a viral infection however, have remained incompletely understood.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-07-lung-cell-patches-dna-survive.html