About
Rabies is an untreatable disease of humans due to lyssaviruses and Rabies virus (RABV) in particular. RABV is a highly neurotropic virus which prevent inflammation during the early phase of infection. In the brain, the role of cell types other than neurones (astrocyte and microglia) is presently unknown. The subversion of the innate immune response is strongly mediated by at least three of the viral proteins: the phophoprotein (P) and the matrix protein (M) and the glycoprotein (G). The global objective of the MIME-RAB project is to study in vivo and in vitro the role of neuronal, microglial and glial cells taken as separate cell compartments and taken as a whole to understand their respective and complementary roles in the modulation of innate immune response during recombinant FP labelled RABV infection. Furthermore, the respective effects of M and P proteins on innate immunity and inflammation will be further investigated in vitro and in vivo using relevant recombinant RABV in order to identify the cellular and the viral molecular factors involved in the virulence of RABV. This project should generate cutting-edge technological developments and knowledge of how RABV and brain interact to maintain health or drive pathology.
