Life Sciences & Biotechnology
Title : | Understanding the regulation of gap junction protein Connexin 43 in Murine-beta-Coronavirus, MHV induced acute and chronic phase inflammation by combining TNF-alpha, IL-10 and TGF- beta signalling triad. |
Area of research : | Life Sciences & Biotechnology |
Focus area : | Cell Biology |
Principal Investigator : | Dr. Jayasri Das sarma, Indian Institute of science Education and Research (IIsER) Kolkata, West Bengal |
Timeline Start Year : | 2024 |
Timeline End Year : | 2027 |
Contact info : | dassarmaj@iiserkol.ac.in |
Details
Executive Summary : | The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the development of therapeutics to control the spread of highly pathogenic human coronaviruses. A recent study from the PI's laboratory has found the therapeutic potential of a host gap junction protein connexin 43 (Cx43) against MHV-A59, highlighting the importance of Cx43 expression at the cell surface to reduce MHV infectivity and spread. The study aims to investigate the mechanism behind altered Cx43 expression, using the MHV-A59-induced disease as a model for viral-induced demyelination, which mimics the pathological hallmarks of human neurological disease Multiple sclerosis. The proposed proposal explores the regulation of Cx43 expression by the balance between pro-inflammatory (TNF-alpha) and anti-inflammatory (TGF-beta1 and IL-10) signaling pathways, using the established MHV-induced model. The researchers aim to further dissect the downstream signaling of TNFalpha-TGFbeta1 and IL-10 in controlling Cx43 expression and modulate these cytokines or their downstream pathways to develop a cytokine-based therapy to stabilize Cx43 expression in the CNs, potentially reducing acute stage beta-CoV infectivity and spread and reducing chronic stage demyelination. |
Total Budget (INR): | 47,32,400 |
Organizations involved