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Name: Nandini Sarma High School: Shawnee Mission East High School

Name: Nandini Sarma High School: Shawnee Mission East High School Mentor: Dr. G Sullivan Read

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Name: Nandini Sarma High School: Shawnee Mission East High School

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  1. Name: Nandini Sarma • High School: Shawnee Mission East High School • Mentor: Dr. G Sullivan Read • Project Title: Cellular translation factors are required for the Virion Host Shutoff (Vhs) function of Herpes Simplex Virus: Use of siRNA-induced depletion of cellular factors to test involvement in Vhs activity • Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) is a highly contagious infectious virus that affects approximately 80% of humans. The Virion Host Shutoff (Vhs) protein is an essential component of HSV that initiates host mRNA degradation during infection. Vhs binds to certain cellular translation factors, but the significance of these factors on Vhs function was unknown. The objective of this study was to explore the effect of siRNA-induced depletion of cellular translation factors, such as eIF4H and eIF4B, on Vhs function. RNAi was used to deplete the protein factors by using siRNA (small interfering RNA). Transfected HeLa cells were infected with WT HSV-1 and analyzed by Real-Time rtPCR targeting 18S-rRNA and ACTB-mRNA. The results showed significantly lower amounts of mRNA in HSV-infected normal, GAPDH, and eIF4B siRNA-transfected cells than the HSV-uninfected cells, confirming Vhs-induced mRNA degradation. However, cells with depleted eIF4H had up to 99% of the gene expression of normal, non-infected cells suggesting that eIF4H is essential to Vhs function. The requirement of eIF4H binding in the Vhs pathway is a new finding that exposes the mechanism of HSV infections. These results have great potential for the development of novel effective antiviral treatments or possible cures for HSV and other viral infections.

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