Hirayama · Journal of virology 2004 · In vitro experimental study · n=?

Heat shock protein 70 is related to thermal inhibition of nuclear export of the influenza virus ribonucleoprotein complex.

Cited 79 times in the scientific literature.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Bench research / in vitro cell culture experiment

PubMed 14722281 · doi:10.1128/jvi.78.3.1263-1270.2004 · record verified 2026-08-30

What was done

Researchers examined the mechanism by which elevated temperature (41 °C) inhibits influenza virus production in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. To test whether heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) mediates this effect by blocking matrix protein 1 (M1) binding to the viral ribonucleoprotein (vRNP) complex, HSP70 was pharmacologically induced at 37 °C using prostaglandin A1 (PGA1). Protein interactions and subcellular localization of vRNP, M1, and nonstructural protein 2/nuclear export protein (NS2/NEP) were evaluated by immunoprecipitation and transport assays.

What was found

The abstract reports qualitative observations without numerical values: - Induction of HSP70 via PGA1 at 37 °C suppressed virus production and blocked the nuclear export of viral proteins. - PGA1 treatment prevented M1 from associating with vRNP. - Immunoprecipitation showed direct binding of HSP70 to vRNP. - While exposure to 41 °C led to NS2 accumulation in nucleoli, PGA1 treatment at 37 °C did not disturb NS2 nuclear export, indicating HSP70 selectively disrupts M1-vRNP binding rather than NS2 export.

Why it matters

This study defines a host cellular mechanism explaining how fever-range heat shock responses suppress influenza replication by using HSP70 to physically displace M1 from the vRNP export complex.

Limits

The study was conducted entirely in vitro using canine cell lines (MDCK). The abstract reports no quantitative values, effect sizes, dose-response data, or statistical testing, and findings were not evaluated in human respiratory cells or in vivo models.

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