MuChun Tsai, MD

Flu damages cells in the airways and causes major lung damage and death. Cilia are hair-like structures that protrude out of airway cells and clear out debris. E3 ligases are proteins that may be involved in immune response. We found that the E3 ligase called MARCH10 is reduced in mice lungs after flu infection. High levels of MARCH10 were found in human lung cells with cilia, which decreased after a flu infection. When MARCH10 was depleted in lung cells, cilia movement decreased, which suggests that MARCH10 may play a role in ciliary function. When MARCH10 was overexpressed in the lung cells and infected with flu, a flu protein decreased. This suggests that MARCH10 may also alter flu infection. We will determine how flu decreases MARCH10 in lung cells. We will also determine what effect MARCH10 has on cilia function during flu infection. We will identify cilia proteins that bind to MARCH10 and determine if overexpressing or depleting these cilia proteins will alter cilia function or flu infection.