Measles viruses are capable of inactivating host defenses by which of the following mechanisms?

• A. Increasing the expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules
• B. Stimulating the proliferation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes
• C. Suppressing interferon production in infected cells
• D. Inducing apoptosis in uninfected neighboring cells

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the role of host defenses in viral infections, focusing on how the immune system detects and responds to viruses like measles.
2. Review the function of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, which present viral antigens to T cells, and consider whether increasing their expression would help or hinder viral evasion.
3. Examine the role of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in targeting and killing infected cells, and analyze how stimulating their proliferation would affect viral survival.
4. Explore the importance of interferons, which are signaling proteins produced by infected cells to alert neighboring cells and activate antiviral defenses, and understand how suppressing interferon production can help the virus evade the immune response.
5. Consider the effect of inducing apoptosis (programmed cell death) in uninfected neighboring cells and whether this would benefit the virus by impairing host defenses or not.