IFN-{kappa} suppresses the replication of influenza A viruses through the IFNAR-MAPK-Fos-CHD6 axis

Type I interferons (IFNs) are the first line of defense against viral infection. Using a mouse model of influenza A virus infection, we found that IFN- was one of the earliest responding type I IFNs after infection with H9N2, a low-pathogenic avian influenza A virus, whereas this early induction did not occur upon infection with the epidemic-causing H7N9 virus. IFN- efficiently suppressed the replication of various influenza viruses in cultured human lung cells, and chromodomain helicase DNA binding protein 6 (CHD6) was the major effector for the antiviral activity of IFN-, but not for that of IFN-α or IFN-β. The induction of CHD6 required both of the type I IFN receptor subunits IFNAR1 and IFNAR2, the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) p38, and the transcription factor c-Fos but was independent of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) activity. In addition, we showed that pretreatment with IFN- protected mice from lethal influenza viral challenge. Together, our findings identify an IFN-–specific pathway that constrains influenza A virus and provide evidence that IFN- may have potential as a preventative and therapeutic agent against influenza A virus.

Source: Signal Transduction Knowledge Environment - April 6, 2020 Category: Science Authors: He, Y., Fu, W., Cao, K., He, Q., Ding, X., Chen, J., Zhu, L., Chen, T., Ding, L., Yang, Y., Zhu, C., Yuan, S., Li, Z., Zhao, C., Zhang, X., Xu, J. Tags: STKE Research Articles Source Type: news