Cell-free DNA in the presence of cytoplasm is often recognized by the host's immune system as a potential danger signal, and dsDNA of viral and bacterial origin, as well as its own DNA, can induce the production of interferon and other inflammatory factors.

The emergence of the new smallpox virus in Texas blocks the host's undigested DNA from entering the receptors, which is equivalent to building a dam at the front end of the antiviral immune signaling pathway, the STING pathway, so the body has enough antibodies to the smallpox virus without triggering an autoimmune response. At first glance, this may seem like a harmless virus, but just as white blood cell antigens trigger an intestinal T cell response, seemingly harmless viruses are often the most difficult to deal with.

It may seem like a good idea to build a dam to block the reservoir, but there is a huge risk that once the dam is washed downstream, it will be completely destroyed. The human immune system is also almost extreme, the new smallpox virus is not unlimited, it will quickly collapse after reaching a certain limit, and the immune system will work frantically to attack these "red flags", and the balance within the human body will be broken in an instant, leading to full-scale tissue damage.

Liang Baoguang joined the research team only to find that these counterparts of the Hope Nation were not as ignorant of genetic modulation as they had previously shown, and contrary to public opinion, their level was ahead of the research institutes of the Celestial Empire. After despising this group of hypocrites who shouted human slogans loudly, he had to think deeply about what these guys wanted to do.

Originally conceived to create superhumans, genetic modulation has been used as a means to create superweapons that can identify "friend or foe", and more recently, as a key to eternal life. Several research institutes in the Celestial Empire have studied this for the purpose of making it possible for a small number of extremely wealthy or powerful people to live forever.

"Dr. Leon, would you please leave the notebook with us?" On the way to the cafeteria, two black-clothed guys blocked in front of Liang Baoguang one after the other, and the one slightly in front of him stretched out his hand very politely, but his face was clearly written with the words "No giving, no good".

Liang Baoguang raised his eyebrows, pulled out the black codex in his chest pocket, and threw it away, "Don't get me dirty." ”

"That kid from the Celestial Empire, he really thinks he's a character!" Liang Baoguang turned a corner, and another agent from the Security Bureau took a sip lightly, showing his dissatisfaction.

The man who started the head habitually touched his chin after putting away the codex, "This is really a big man, as long as he opens his mouth casually, I am afraid that a little shrimp like you and me will be easily crushed to death." Let's do our part, don't talk too much. ”

The food in the canteen is very good, after all, the people who come to "help" are a number of disease control experts from all over the world, Liang Baoguang took a plate and received a lunch and then went to sit in the corner. His reputation for bad breath spread all over the United States, and his colleagues in the country of hope knew that he had itchy mouths without scolding, so they avoided him for the past few days, and he himself was happy to be at ease.

"Dr. Liang, is there any progress on your side?" Martin Willis is a doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor at Harvard University.

"There is no progress, to be honest, I am not too good at genetic engineering, so I can help a little clinically. "There is a specialization in the art industry, and all of Liang Baoguang's talent points have been thrown into the big pit of mathematics, and the rest have also been contributed to clinical medicine.

Martin Willis looked disappointed, but then his mood brightened again, "If we can successfully inhibit the activity of the STING pathway, many terminal illnesses will no longer be a problem like a cold, and a Nobel Prize in medicine is properly obtained, even if so many people share an honor, it ......"

"The problem is that we can't do it. Liang Baoguang had to interrupt the old professor's daydream, although everyone thought that it was feasible to inhibit the activity of the STING pathway after discussion, but with the current technology, it could not be accurately controlled, so all fantasy was meaningless.

Among the cytosolic DNA receptors discovered so far, cGAS is a ubiquitous essential DNA receptor that is able to produce cyclic GMP-AMP upon stimulation by DNA, which in turn binds to and activates the stimulator STING of IFN genes, which can recruit and bind to TBK1 protein when activated, and subsequently cause STING and IRF3 to be phosphorylated by TBK1, ultimately triggering the production of class I IFNs. If the phosphorylation site of STING is mutated to alanine, it significantly impairs its ability to activate downstream interferons.

There seems to be nothing wrong with this theory, but if you play it on the human immune system, the entire STING pathway will be completely inactive, which will be a worse outcome than being infected with HIV, so this treatment can only exist on paper at the moment, and cannot be tested on patients.

"There's a way. Many old professors will wholeheartedly seek recognition for the Nobel Prize, even if they are cheeky and willing to hitchhike, Martin Willis also has the same grievances, "But there is really not much time left for us, I heard that there is already a storm outside the city." ”

"Oh, do you still have news from the outside?" Liang Baoguang was so addicted to work that he completely forgot to care about the movement outside, and only remembered after being reminded that the smallpox epidemic outside had probably completely broken out.

"Well, some people say that the smallpox virus was brought into the country of hope by Mexicans who crossed the border, so many people are calling for the border between the two countries to be closed and illegal immigrants completely blocked, while some shameless politicians have taken the opportunity to advocate great hope and say that they want to build a high wall on the border. Martin Willis was a little indignant, for though he himself had no Mexican ancestry, he had always had sympathy for his neighbor to the south, and who had made his mistress a charming Mexican beauty.

After hearing this, Liang Baoguang immediately thought of an old face with blonde hair in his mind, Donald Greymane (if you don't know, please do your own Baidu) is the most distinctive white supremacist in the country of all hopes, he proposed to build a wall as early as 800 years ago, and if such a big thing happened this time, if he didn't jump out, there would be a ghost. But he couldn't help but wonder if this incident was behind the scenes of these politicians.