News from research: Publications, studies and research projects from the UKE

 1. The active ingredient mycophenolic acid can promote the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 virus variants

2. Humans only selectively use information encoded in the brain when making decisions

3. Research group investigating the control of gene expression and host response by DNA viruses receives further funding

1. The active ingredient mycophenolic acid can promote the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 virus variants

Scientists at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), the Ruhr University Bochum, and the Leibniz Institute of Virology have discovered that the immunosuppressant active ingredient mycophenolic acid (MPA) can promote the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 virus variants. Studies have revealed certain changes in the genome of SARS-CoV-2 (mutations S P812R, ORF3 Q185H, and E S6L). Thus, while the active ingredient MPA has an antiviral effect, viruses like SARS-CoV-2 can circumvent this mechanism by adapting. "This indicates that new, adapted virus variants can emerge under immunosuppressive conditions – a possible risk factor that should be considered in patients with weakened immune systems," says Dr. Toni Luise Meister, lead author and research group leader at the Institute of Infection Research and Vaccine Development at the UKE. The results were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The active ingredient MPA, a so-called antimetabolite, is used to specifically suppress the immune system, particularly after transplants of organs such as kidneys, livers, or hearts, to prevent rejection of the new organ. At the same time, MPA inhibits the replication of various viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and MPOX virus (MPXV). However, studies have shown that the virus can circumvent this inhibition.

2. People only selectively use information encoded in the brain when making decisions

People often ignore information that contradicts their beliefs. This results in a tendency to repeatedly confirm their own judgments – this is also known as "confirmation bias." Both the information that confirms and contradicts a decision are equally encoded in the brain, even in higher-level regions of the parietal lobe. Researchers at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) discovered this using magnetoencephalography and new information-theoretic data analysis methods. However, the neural codes for inconsistent information are less precisely "read" for subsequent decisions than consistent information. The information ignored by confirmation bias is therefore available in the brain, and decision-makers could learn to use this information to make more neutral decisions. The scientists from the UKE's Institute of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology published their findings in the journal Nature Communications.

3. Research group on the control of gene expression and host response by DNA viruses receives further funding

The research group FOR 5200 "Disrupt - Evade - Exploit: Control of gene expression and host response by DNA viruses (DEEP-DV)" will receive €5.3 million in funding from the German Research Foundation for a further four years; €1.5 million of this will go to the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE). The UKE, together with the TU Braunschweig, will serve as spokesperson for the research group. DEEP-DV brings together scientists with strong virological expertise and relevant experience in the application of cutting-edge experimental methods such as genome, transcriptome, and epigenome analysis, RNP proteomics, single-cell technologies and microscopy techniques, as well as bioinformatics data analytics. "This approach will enable us to develop a significantly improved understanding of the control mechanisms of acute and chronic DNA virus infections, which can contribute to the development of new therapeutic strategies in the long term," explains spokesperson Prof. Dr. Nicole Fischer, Director of the Institute of Molecular Virology and Tumor Virology.

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☑ News from research: Publications, studies and research projects from the UKE