A team led by UT Southwestern researchers has identified a key gene necessary for cells to consume and destroy viruses. The findings, reported online in Nature, could lead to ways to manipulate this process to improve the immune system’s ability to combat viral infections, such as those fueling the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

Scientists have long known that cells use a process called autophagy to rid themselves of unwanted material. Autophagy, which translates as “self-eating,” involves isolating cellular garbage in double-layered vesicles called autophagosomes, which are then fused with single-layered vesicles known as lysosomes to degrade the materials inside and recycle them into building blocks for other uses.  

Read more about the full study in the UT Southwestern Newsroom.