Researchers have identified a ‘trigger’ protein responsible for the severity of MPox infections.

“Experimental Identification of the Trigger Substance Causing Excessive Inflammatory Response”,
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, “(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Jandi = A joint domestic public-private research team has discovered a protein that acts as a ‘trigger’ for severe infections in MPOX (monkeypox).”,
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, ” The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s National Institute of Health, along with Professor Sang-Jun Lee’s team from the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology and Professor Dae-Sik Kim’s team from Sungkyunkwan University, announced on the 25th that they have experimentally identified ‘AIM2 protein’ as a major cause of excessive inflammatory response during the monkeypox virus infection process.”,
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, ‘ AIM2 protein is one of the DNA sensor proteins that directly recognizes external DNA that has entered the cytoplasm.’,
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, ‘ In this study, out of several DNA sensor proteins, AIM2 protein was found to be the key sensor that actually detects the DNA of the externally acquired monkeypox virus and induces a strong inflammatory response.’,
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, ‘ According to the research team, AIM2 protein activated by recognizing viral DNA forms an inflammosome, and this inflamed structure further activates the enzyme caspase-1, causing cell destruction and leading to the excessive secretion of inflammatory signaling substances (IL-1β, IL-18).’,
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, ‘ The research team concluded that AIM2 protein is at the starting point of this excessive inflammatory response.’,
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, ” While the fatality rate of MPOX is not high, around 3%, excessive inflammatory responses may damage normal tissue inside the body, worsening the disease. Healthy young individuals can lose their lives to influenza or COVID-19 due to overwhelming inflammatory responses often known as a ‘cytokine storm’.”,
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, ‘ The research team also confirmed that when AIM2 protein is inhibited, inflammation and cell death in the lung tissue of experimental mice are alleviated.’,
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, ‘ Lim Seung-kwan, the Commissioner of the KDCA, stated, “This research is the first instance of experimentally identifying AIM2 as the trigger substance causing excessive inflammatory responses in monkeypox virus infection,” and “it has provided a scientific basis for the development of vaccines and therapeutics in preparation for an MPOX pandemic by elucidating the molecular mechanism of severity and inflammatory response.”‘,
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(Seoul=Yonhap News) Illustration of the process where AIM2 protein sensor induces inflammation response during monkeypox virus infection. 2025.11.25. [Provided by KDCA. Redistribution and DB prohibited],
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, ‘ jandi@yna.co.kr’,
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