Viruses Found to Use Decoy System to Evade Immune System

Researchers at the University of Otago have discovered more about how viruses operate and what mechanisms they use to evade the immune system. The study was published today in mBio. 

The team took a closer look at the Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus (OrNV) virus—an important biocontrol agent against the coconut rhinoceros beetle, a devastating pest for coconut and oil palm trees in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. By looking at the OrNV and its behavior within hosts, researchers hope to gain some insight into changes in cells infected with SARS-CoV-2. 

"Our study revealed that the virus acquires a membrane inside the nucleus of the infected cell and it gets fully equipped to infect new cells at this precise location,” says lead researcher Mihnea Bostina. “This is in contrast with other enveloped viruses—like coronavirus, which is also an enveloped virus—which derive their membranes from other cellular compartments.”

"It shows for the very first time a clever strategy available to insect viruses. It will be interesting to find in what measure other types of viruses— like the ones infecting humans—are also capable of carrying out a similar process," says co-author Sai Velamoor.