Epithelial Transport Laboratory - Professor David Cook
New discovery on mechanisms of action of the 'flu virus
A study from Professor David Cook's laboratory on the actions of the influenza virus on sodium channels in respiratory epithelium has recently been published in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S.A. (Vol. 97, pp. 10282-10287). This paper has already attracted great interest, and in an accompanying commentary in the same issue of the journal, W.E. Guggino and S.E. Guggino note that it is significant because "it is the first demonstration that pathogens can alter fluid balance in the airway by inhibiting fluid absorption via an amiloride-sensitive transport pathway", and "it provides and explanation of some symptoms of respiratory infections, such as influenza". The work also demonstrated that the influenza virus acts on specific receptors in the airways, and as pointed out in the commentary, "these receptors may provide new targets for therapeutic strategies to block the hyperabsorption of sodium and fluid in cystic fibrosis". Thus, this study not only provides new information on the actions of the influenza virus, but points the way to new treatments for respiratory infections and cystic fibrosis.