Researchers sequencing the genome of the flu virus using a new method – Medical Information Bulletin

Researchers at Centers for Disease Prevention and Control recently sequenced the influenza virus

Influenza is a common infectious disease caused by a virus: new Strains spread seasonally, causing millions of infections and up to half a million deaths each year, especially among the very young and the very old. Some strains are more severe than others, and three major outbreaks during the 20th century ^and caused the death of more than 50 million people, resulting each year in a rush of production. However, creating a proper vaccine and finding a cure or even a cure has long been hampered by our lack of knowledge of the genome of the flu virus.

This year, researchers led by John Barnes at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have successfully sequenced the genome of the influenza virus. Unlike animal cells, viruses typically store their genetic code as RNA rather than DNA. This was recently reported in Nature .

Unlike DNA, RNA is a single-stranded molecule, which means a lot of methods that we use to sequence DNA, which the number of molecules are not useful for sequencing RNA. Researchers usually need to follow a more complex and less precise path to sequence RNA. CDC researchers have instead used nanopores to sequence influenza virus RNA. This technology relies on the pbadage of RNA molecules through a very fine pore and the measurement of electrical fluctuations as the molecule pbades.

Barnes and his team hope that nanoporous sequencing of other viruses with RNA genomes will become routine. will be able to use nanopore technology to identify changes in RNA that alter its function.

This type of information will allow researchers to understand how viruses can change so quickly, and how they can affect people in different ways. For now, finally, the sequencing of the influenza virus will open many avenues of research, leading to better vaccines and treatments for influenza.

Written by C.I. Villamil

Reference: Callaway. 2018. The influenza virus was finally sequenced in its native form. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-04908-5