Award details

IAH studentship:The role of AKT activation during Avian Infectious Bronchitis Virus infections

Reference	BBS/E/I/00001758
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Dr Mark Fife
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors	Professor Paul Britton
Institution	The Pirbright Institute
Department	The Pirbright Institute Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	93,624
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/10/2012
End date	30/09/2016
Duration	47 months

Abstract

Studentship: Research into many viruses such as Influenza virus, Hepatitis C virus and Papillomavirus has revealed that the PI3K/AKT pathway plays a crucial role in infection. The PI3K/AKT pathway is responsible for the control of many cellular processes including apoptosis, cell growth and proliferation. AKT (also known as PKB) is a protein kinase, ubiquitously expressed in most cells. It acts as an upstream signaling protein for many pathways that are vital for cell survival and replication. Studies of the Influenza virus have found that the viral protein NS1 is directly involved in activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway. Activation leads to negative regulation of apoptosis amongst other changes, which creates a more effective environment for virus entry and growth. Although the AKT locus has been identified in chickens, few studies have characterised the involvement of this viral evasion mechanism in this important livestock species. In this project we will characterize the role of AKT within chicken cells when infected by a virus, using both proteomic and molecular techniques. The virus to be used in this study is avian gammacoronavirus, infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) that causes infectious bronchitis (IB) in poultry. IB is an economically important disease that causes severe respiratory pathology in chickens of all ages. It is extremely detrimental to the poultry industry due to reduced egg production and quality of both egg and meat. Although vaccines exist against the virus, the high level of mutation that is associated with virus replication and numerous strains of the virus with poor cross-protectively means that the disease is difficult to control.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Not funded via Committee
Research Topics	Animal Health, Immunology, Microbiology
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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