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Journal of Virology, March 2006, p. 2987-2999, Vol. 80, No. 6
0022-538X/06/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.80.6.2987-2999.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
RNase L Plays a Role in the Antiviral Response to West Nile Virus
Svetlana V. Scherbik,1
Jayashree M. Paranjape,2
Bronislava M. Stockman,1
Robert H. Silverman,2 and
Margo A. Brinton1*
Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30302,1
Department of Cancer Biology/NB40, The Lerner Research Institute, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio 441952
Received 18 August 2005/
Accepted 21 December 2005
Alleles at the Flv locus determine disease outcome after a flavivirus infection in mice. Although comparable numbers of congenic resistant and susceptible mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) are infected by the flavivirus West Nile virus (WNV), resistant MEFs produce
100- to 150-fold lower titers than susceptible ones and flavivirus titers in the brains of resistant and susceptible animals can differ by >10,000-fold. The Flv locus was previously identified as the 2'-5' oligoadenylate synthetase 1b (Oas1b) gene. Oas gene expression is up-regulated by interferon (IFN), and after activation by double-stranded RNA, some mouse synthetases produce 2-5A, which activates latent RNase L to degrade viral and cellular RNAs. To determine whether the lower levels of intracellular flavivirus genomic RNA from resistant mice detected in cells at all times after infection were mediated by RNase L, RNase L activity levels in congenic resistant and susceptible cells were compared. Similar moderate levels of RNase L activation by transfected 2-5A were observed in both types of uninfected cells. After WNV infection, the mRNAs of IFN-ß and three Oas genes were up-regulated to similar levels in both types of cells. However, significant levels of RNase L activity were not detected until 72 h after WNV infection and the patterns of viral RNA cleavage products generated were similar in both types of cells. When RNase L activity was down-regulated in resistant cells via stable expression of a dominant negative RNase L mutant,
5- to 10-times-higher yields of WNV were produced. Similarly, about
5- to 10-times-higher virus yields were produced by susceptible C57BL/6 RNase L/ cells compared to RNase L+/+ cells that were either left untreated or pretreated with IFN and/or poly(I) · poly(C). The data indicate that WNV genomic RNA is susceptible to RNase L cleavage and that RNase L plays a role in the cellular antiviral response to flaviviruses. The results suggest that RNase L activation is not a major component of the Oas1b-mediated flavivirus resistance phenotype.
* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biology, Georgia State University, P.O. Box 4010, Atlanta, GA 30302-4010. Phone: (404) 651-3113. Fax: (404) 651-2509. E-mail:
mbrinton{at}gsu.edu.
Journal of Virology, March 2006, p. 2987-2999, Vol. 80, No. 6
0022-538X/06/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.80.6.2987-2999.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
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