Illustration of the single-cell analysis using scSLAM-seq. (Image: HZI / HIRI / S. Pernitzsch)
Würzburg Scientists have precisely followed the activity of thousands of genes in individual cells for hours. For the first time, they were able to show why some cells are successfully infected by viruses, whereas others are not. When viruses enter our bodies - such as during an influenza or a gastrointestinal infection - the processes within the infected cells change: In the worst case, the virus takes the helm and reprograms the cell to its advantage. It then produces viral components on a massive scale allowing the intruder to multiply exponentially. In other cells, however, the virus may be successfully eliminated by the activation of cellular defense mechanisms. But how can it be that one cell is overrun and another succeeds in getting the virus under control? How quickly do individual cells react to a viral attack and which protective genes are activated? Scientists at the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg and the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) in Würzburg have investigated these questions. They have developed a new method, scSLAM-seq, which enables them to track the activity of thousands of genes in individual cells over several hours.
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