title: A serpin takes a bite out of the flu.
abstract: Other than annual vaccinations, there are few remedies for seasonal influenza virus infections. A recent study in Cell from Dittmann et al. (2015) designed to reveal immune strategies against the flu has uncovered an Achilles' heel for influenza replication based on its requirement for host proteolytic machinery to enable efficient spread.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA. Electronic address: horvath@northwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Curt M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Horvath
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000502:physiology*; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D058258:Serpin E2 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1; D058258:Serpin E2