Karen Agaronyan

This study uses time-resolved single-cell RNA sequencing in mice to show age and sex influence immune responses and viral disease severity through altered gene expression and inflammation.

The paper identifies a conserved tissue-level stress response to proteolytic damage, characterized by heme release and oxidative stress, and shows how alveolar macrophages and fibroblasts respond to mitigate damage.

This study shows that TLR9 sensing of tissue damage during influenza infection promotes inflammation and antiviral responses, but its absence leads to impaired viral clearance and prolonged lung injury.