The flu virus contains a secret gene which can be used to prevent the disease killing its victim, British researchers revealed last night.
The virus has just 12 genes – but the latest gene has come as a surprise.
Scientists have studied it in the strain of flu virus that caused the 1918 pandemic.
Their findings were reported in the journal Science last night.
The gene is called PA-X and laboratory studies, involving mice, showed that the animals recovered from disease when the gene was activated.
When the gene was dormant, the immune system proved unable to handle the infection and over-reacted, they found.
Researchers at the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh, UK, Cork in Ireland and Utah in the USA worked on the project.
Professor Paul Digard, of The Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh, said: "Just finding this gene in the first place is important, but the find is even more significant because of the role it seems to play in the body’s response to flu."
Dr Andrew Firth, of the University of Cambridge, said: "The flu virus has a very, very small genome – just 12 genes. Finding a new gene makes a pretty significant change to our understanding of this virus."
Science June 28 2012
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