Viruses, Vol. 9, Pages 5: Mx Is Not Responsible for the Antiviral Activity of Interferon-α against Japanese Encephalitis Virus

In this study, we set out to investigate the effects of Mx1 and Mx2 expression on the interferon- α (IFNα) restriction of JEV replication. To evaluate whether the inhibitory activity of IFNα on JEV is dependent on Mx1 or Mx2, we knocked down Mx1 or Mx2 with siRNA in IFNα-treated PK-15 cells and BHK-21 cells, then challenged them with JEV; the production of progeny virus was assessed by plaqu e assay, RT-qPCR, and Western blotting. Our results demonstrated that depletion of Mx1 or Mx2 did not affect JEV restriction imposed by IFNα, although these two proteins were knocked down 66% and 79%, respectively. Accordingly, expression of exogenous Mx1 or Mx2 did not change the inhibitory activi ty of IFNα to JEV. In addition, even though virus-induced membranes were damaged by Brefeldin A (BFA), overexpressing porcine Mx1 or Mx2 did not inhibit JEV proliferation. We found that BFA inhibited JEV replication, not maturation, suggesting that BFA could be developed into a novel antiviral reag ent. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that IFNα inhibits JEV infection by Mx-independent pathways.
Source: Viruses - Category: Virology Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research