BPoD has moved!

BPoD has recently changed our domain name - we can now be found at bpod.org.uk

Please update your bookmarks!

Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

Protein that helps viruses hijack cell replication machinery and spread could be a target to halt infection

21 December 2018

Joyriding Viruses

When entering a human cell, some viruses just replicate and move on. Others, it appears, grab the steering wheel, start the engine, and make off. This video shows the tracks taken by human cells hijacked by such a virus (infection at the centre). It’s thought that by commandeering the cell’s motility machinery, poxviruses and others like them are able to promote their own spread around the body. Researchers have now discovered that in the case of vaccinia virus (a type of poxvirus) production of a viral protein called vaccinia growth factor (VGF) is responsible for revving the cell’s engine. Indeed, deletion of VGF from the vaccinia genome reduced the spread of the virus and the size of viral lesions in vaccinia-infected mice. By determining the mechanisms underlying this viral joy-riding, researchers hope to develop targeted anti-viral strategies that stop the stolen cells in their tracks and thus reduce the severity of infection.

Written by Ruth Williams

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.