THE INTERFERON RESPONSE OF A MODEL CHIROPTERAN BAT; THE BLACK FLYING FOX, PTEROP

这个子项目是利用资源的许多研究子项目之一 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供。子项目的主要支持 而子项目的主要调查员可能是由其他来源提供的， 包括其它NIH来源。 列出的子项目总成本可能 代表子项目使用的中心基础设施的估计数量， NCRR赠款不直接向子项目或子项目工作人员提供资金。 蝙蝠是一系列新出现和重新出现的病毒的天然宿主，包括SARS样冠状病毒、埃博拉病毒、亨尼帕病毒和狂犬病病毒。 蝙蝠携带的许多病毒导致人类、牲畜和伴侣动物的显著发病率和死亡率，但很少导致蝙蝠的临床后果。 然而，负责控制蝙蝠中病毒复制的机制尚不清楚，并且几乎没有关于蝙蝠抗病毒免疫的任何方面的信息。 我们的研究旨在了解蝙蝠的抗病毒免疫的性质，使用模式物种，澳大利亚狐蝠。 我们正在使用各种方法来研究蝙蝠的先天性和适应性免疫反应的性质，包括已知参与其他哺乳动物抗病毒免疫的基因的表征和使用转录组分析的基因发现。 我们还开始研究病毒感染细胞和细胞系中免疫基因的表达，并开发蝙蝠特异性抗体试剂。 了解蝙蝠的抗病毒反应是至关重要的，如果我们要开发新的治疗方法来控制其他哺乳动物的病毒性疾病，并将提供重要的见解抗病毒免疫在哺乳动物的进化一般。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. Bats are the natural host reservoir for a range of emerging and re-emerging viruses, including SARS-like Coronaviruses, Ebola, Henipaviruses and Rabies viruses. Many of the viruses carried by bats result in significant morbidity and mortality in humans, livestock and companion animals yet rarely result in clinical consequences in bats. However, the mechanisms responsible for the control of viral replication in bats are not understood and there is little information available on any aspect of antiviral immunity in bats. Our research seeks to understand the nature of antiviral immunity in bats using the model species, the Australian flying fox, Pteropus alecto. We are using a variety of approaches to examine the nature of innate and adaptive immune responses in bats including the characterization of genes known to be involved in antiviral immunity in other mammals and gene discovery using transcriptome analysis. We have also begun to investigate the expression of immune genes in virus infected cells and cell lines and develop bat specific antibody reagents. Understanding the antiviral responses of bats is crucial if we are to develop new treatments to control viral diseases in other mammals and will provide important insights into the evolution of antiviral immunity in mammals in general.