Antiviral defence during early development

The major innate immune response against viruses, the type I interferon response, is inactive during the very early days of embryonic development. As such, mammalian embryos may have developed alternative strategies to defend against viruses. We hypothesize that embryonic-specific RNA-binding proteins may act as powerful antiviral mechanisms. To test this, this project will screen a selected group of RNA-binding proteins predicted to protect cells from viruses. CRISPR-mediated technologies will be used to inactivate the genes of interest to measure antiviral resistance. Molecular biology techniques, including iCLIP and pull-downs coupled with mass spectrometry, will be used to identify the mechanism by which RNA-binding proteins act as antiviral factors. We expect to find novel mechanisms by which cells defend against viruses, especially important during embryonic development.