Abstract
In response to virus infection, type I interferons (IFNs) induce several genes, most of whose functions are largely unknown. Here, we show that the tripartite motif (TRIM) protein, TRIM79α, is an IFN-stimulated gene (ISG) product that specifically targets tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), a Flavivirus that causes encephalitides in humans. TRIM79α restricts TBEV replication by mediating lysosome-dependent degradation of the flavivirus NS5 protein, an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase essential for virus replication. NS5 degradation was specific to tick-borne flaviviruses, as TRIM79α did not recognize NS5 from West Nile virus (WNV) or inhibit WNV replication. In the absence of TRIM79α, IFN-β was less effective in inhibiting tick-borne flavivirus infection of mouse macrophages, highlighting the importance of a single virus-specific ISG in establishing an antiviral state. The specificity of TRIM79α for TBEV reveals a remarkable ability of the innate IFN response to discriminate between closely related flaviviruses.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 185-196 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Cell Host and Microbe |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 15 2011 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank members of the Laboratory of Virology for BSL-4 training, particularly Ricki Feldmann. We thank Anita Mora for graphical expertise and Drs. John Portis, Jean Celli, and Heinz Feldmann for critical reviews of the manuscript. This work was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and NIH AI059340 (W.A.B).