Abstract To maintain homeostasis of the immune system is considered important for the prevention of influenza A virus infection. Aberrant systemic inflammation is frequently induced by influenza A virus infection, and the severity of the symptoms is associated with pathogenicity of the virus. Lactic acid bacteria are known to have

Abstract Osteopontin (OPN) is involved in exacerbating various inflammatory diseases. A severe pulmonary inflammation is frequently found in lethal influenza A virus (IAV) infection. However, the function of OPN against the infection was poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate an importance of OPN on immune response and disease severity after IAV infection. We

Abstract Persistent infections of hepatitis C virus (HCV) are known to be a major risk factor for causing hepatocellular carcinomas. Nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) of HCV has serine protease and RNA helicase domains, and is essential for the viral replication. Further, NS3 is also considered to be involved in the

Infection with influenza A virus causes acute respiratory tract infections in humans and may lead to lethal diseases including pneumonia. Identifying host factors that are involved in the severity of infectious diseases caused by influenza A virus is considered important for the prevention and treatment of these viral infections. This