Pathogen restriction factors
AssigneesThe Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc., The General Hospital Corporation
InventorsAbraham Brass, Stephen Elledge
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Abstract
The use of interferon induced transmembrane protein 1, 2, or 3 (IFITM1, 2, or 3) as a viral restriction factor, and methods of using the same to produce virus, transgenic animals expressing exogenous IFITM1, 2, or 3, and methods of treating or inhibiting viral infections by targeting a gene identified herein.
Claims6
An isolated modified human cell wherein the modification is i) an insertion of an exogenous nucleotide sequence into the endogenous IFITM3 gene, wherein the insertion disrupts expression of the endogenous IFITM3 gene, or ii) an introduced siRNA sequence that effectively reduces expression of IFITM3, wherein the disruption or reduction of expression of IFITM3 leads to increased infectivity of the modified cell compared to a wild-type human cell of the same type that is not modified and wherein the modified cell is infected with an orthomyxovirus or a flavivirus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.