Identification of avian host factors underpinning Influenza A Virus (IAV) replication using CRISPR screens

Influenza, commonly called flu', is a highly transmissible viral infection, which can infect multiple species including human, chicken, and pigs. As with all viruses, influenza is completely dependent on the host cellular machinery for its replication. It evades host defence mechanisms and use host cellular pathways for its replicative advantage. Understanding of these host virus interactions is the key for development of novel anti- viral therapeutics and for understanding of the viral host jump events which can help in devising control strategies. One way of understanding the host virus interactions is using high throughput genetic screens where host genes are individually deleted, or their expression is enhanced and the effect on viral replication is assessed. In this project I will use a newly developed genetic screen which uses modified influenza virus which can itself enhance host gene expression to affect its own replication. This screen will help in the identification of genes required for host defence and those exploited by virus for replication in the chicken host. The results will also enable us to compare the virus host dependency factors in chicken to those already known in humans.