Porcine deltacoronavirus nucleocapsid protein antagonizes IFN- β production by impairing dsRNA and PACT binding to RIG-I

In this study, we found that PDCoV nucleo capsid (N) protein, the most abundant viral structural protein, suppressed Sendai virus (SEV)-induced IFN-β production and transcription factor IRF3 activation, but did not block IFN-β production induced by overexpressing RIG-I/MDA5. Furthermore, study revealed that PDCoV N protein interacted with RIG-I and MDA5 in an in vitro overexpression system and evident interactions between N protein and RIG-I could be detected in the context of PDCoV infection, which interfered with the binding of dsRNA and protein activator of protein kinase R (PACT) to RIG-I. Together, our results demonstrate that PDCoV N protein is an IFN antagonist and utilizes diverse strategies to attenuate RIG-I recognition and activation.

Source: Virus Genes - May 24, 2019 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research