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Journal of Virology, January 2008, p. 335-345, Vol. 82, No. 1
0022-538X/08/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.01080-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Departments of Immunology,1 Microbiology,2 Washington National Primate Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington,3 Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas,4 Departments of Microbiology,5 Medicine,6 Emerging Pathogens Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York,7 Department of Host Defense, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan8
Received 18 May 2007/ Accepted 4 October 2007
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/β) is a central and essential component of this response, leading to induced expression of hundreds of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) whose products direct antiviral and immunomodulatory actions that can limit infection (38).
Retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) and melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) are cytoplasmic DEx(D/H) box helicases that can detect intracellular viral products such as genomic RNA (vRNA) to signal IFN-
/β production in infected cells (41). Signaling by each occurs through homotypic caspase activation and recruitment domain (CARD) interactions with the interferon promoter-stimulating factor 1 (IPS-1) adaptor protein (19, 27, 35, 39), which recruits RIG-I and MDA5 to the outer membrane of the mitochondria as part of a macromolecular signaling complex that serves to activate downstream interferon-regulatory factors (IRFs) and other transcription factors that induce IFN-
/β and ISG expression (14). Although RIG-I and MDA5 may share similar signaling features (42) and structural homology (43), accumulating evidence suggests that the two helicases may discriminate among different ligands to trigger the innate immune response to RNA viruses. Signaling by RIG-I is triggered during infection by a number of RNA viruses and by the presence of synthetic RNA transcribed in vitro (17, 24, 33, 37). More recently, RIG-I has been implicated in the recognition of RNA moieties that harbor 5' triphosphate ends (13, 31, 32) or of RNAs that assume complex secondary structures (33, 37). In contrast, signaling by MDA5 is uniquely triggered during picornavirus infections or in the presence of a synthetic RNA polymer consisting of annealing strands of inosine and cytosine, poly(I:C) (10, 17). To investigate how viruses from distinct genera initiate the innate immune response, we assessed the requirement for RIG-I, MDA5, and IPS-1 during infection with a panel of RNA viruses. Through functional genomic analyses, we further characterize host genes whose expression is dependent on RIG-I during influenza virus infection. Our results define an essential role for IPS-1 and demonstrate unique and redundant roles for RIG-I and MDA5 in RNA virus-triggered signaling involved in the innate immune response to infection. We provide the first identification of a RIG-I-responsive gene bioset whose expression has been linked with immunity and disease during influenza A virus infection.
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Stocks of red fluorescent protein (RFP)-tagged Newcastle disease virus (NDV) were produced by injecting 10-day-old specific-pathogen-free embryonated chicken eggs (Charles River Laboratory) with stocks of virus (obtained from L. Martinez-Sobrido, Mount Sinai School of Medicine) that were diluted in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) supplemented with 0.2% (wt/vol) bovine serum albumin, 1.1 mM MgCl2, and 1.2 mM CaCl2. Infected eggs were incubated at 38°C for 48 h and then cooled to 4°C for 2 h before allantoic fluid was collected for virus stock. The virus was titrated on Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells by assaying for focus-forming units (FFU) at 24 to 48 h postinfection. Stocks of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) were prepared from HeLa cells using a virus stock obtained from M. E. Peeples (Ohio State University). Infected HeLa cells and culture medium were collected at 48 h postinfection. The cell pellet was resuspended in PBS supplemented with 2 mM EDTA and was lysed by successive cycles of freezing and thawing. Cellular debris was removed by centrifugation, and the supernatant was pooled with the previously collected culture medium. The virus was concentrated with the addition of 50% (vol/vol) polyethylene glycol 8000 in NTE buffer (150 mM NaCl, 50 mM Tris base [pH 7.2], 10 mM EDTA) to a final concentration of 10% (vol/vol) polyethylene glycol, followed by centrifugation at 10,000 rpm. The virus pellet was reconstituted in 20% sucrose in NTE buffer and was further purified by sedimentation using a discontinuous gradient of 35 and 60% (wt/vol) sucrose in NTE buffer that was centrifuged at 37,000 rpm for 1 h at 4°C. The purified virus stock was titrated on HeLa cells and assayed for FFU at 48 h postinfection. Stocks of the human RSV strain A-2 were prepared from HeLa cells by using a virus stock purchased from the ATCC (VR-1540), and the virus was purified as described above for the GFP-tagged RSV.
Sendai virus (SenV) strain Cantell was obtained from Charles River Laboratory. The recombinant influenza virus with an NS1 deletion, its wt counterpart A/Puerto Rico/8/34, influenza virus strains A/Udorn/1972 (Udorn) and B/Yamagata, and rabbit polyclonal antibodies (pAb) to the nucleoprotein (NP) and NS1 protein of influenza A and B viruses were from A. García-Sastre (Mount Sinai School of Medicine) and R. M. Krug (University of Texas at Austin). Reovirus type 3 Dearing (T3D) and type 1 Lang (T1L) and rabbit pAb to reoviruses were gifts from B. Sherry (North Carolina State University). Dengue virus type 2 (DEN2) was a gift from L. Gehrke (Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School).
Rabbit pAb to RIG-I and Mx-1 were produced in rabbits by repeated injections of purified recombinant RIG-I protein or synthetic peptides derived from Mx-1, respectively, at the University of Texas Southwestern Antibody Core facility. Rabbit pAb to ISG54 and ISG56 were a gift from G. Sen (Cleveland Clinic); a rabbit pAb to ISG15 was a gift from A. Haas (Louisiana State University). The remaining antisera described in this paper were obtained from commercial sources: Abcam (a mouse monoclonal antibody to DEN NS1), Charles River Laboratory (a chicken pAb to NDV), Molecular Probes (a rabbit pAb to GFP), Santa Cruz (a goat pAb to actin), Biodesign International (a goat pAb to SenV), Chemicon International (a chicken pAb to RFP), Zymed (a rabbit pAb to IRF-3), and Axxora (rabbit pAb to IPS-1 and MDA5).
Renilla luciferase and IFN-β-luciferase constructs have been described elsewhere (8); small interfering RNAs (siRNA) for RIG-I (Genome SMARTpool targeting human DDX58) and IPS-1 (Genome SMARTpool targeting human KIAA1271) and a nontargeting control siRNA were obtained from Ambion. The sequences of the siRNA to IPS-1 and the nontargeting control siRNA have been described previously (26). The set of siRNA duplexes used to silence RIG-I expression in this study included the following: (i) 5'-CAGAAGAUCUUGAGGAUAAUU-3', (ii) 5'-GCACAGAAGUGUAUAUUGGUU-3', (iii) 5'-AGACAUGGGUAUAGAGUUAUU-3', and (iv) 5'-CAACCGAUAUCAUUUCUGAUU-3'.
Protein expression analysis. Protein extracts from infected cells were prepared by lysing cells in extraction buffer (50 mM Tris HCl [pH 7.5], 150 mM NaCl, 0.5% sodium deoxycholate, 1% NP-40, 1 mM EDTA, and 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate, supplemented with 1 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, 1 mg/ml aprotonin, leupeptin, and pepstatin, 1 mM sodium vanadate, and 1 mM sodium fluoride) followed by 4°C centrifugation at 16,000 x g for 15 min. The supernatant was separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and analyzed by immunoblotting. We note that ISG56 expression levels typically ranged from undetectable to a low basal level in primary MEFs (see Results), likely a reflection of subtle differences in culture conditions. Differences in viral growth were also noted in the different mouse fibroblast cell lines. We attribute these potential differences to cell population differences in phenotype, which are often observed in in vitro studies and/or which could be linked to other, unknown features of MDA5 or IPS-1 function.
For promoter luciferase reporter assays, cells were cotransfected with Renilla luciferase and IFN-β-luciferase constructs and simultaneously transfected with the appropriate pool of siRNA or a nontargeting siRNA by using Lipofectamine 2000 (Invitrogen) according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Cells were either infected with virus or mock infected 24 h after transfections. At the indicated times, cell extracts were collected and analyzed for dual luciferase activity as described elsewhere (8).
Immunostaining and fluorescent microscopy. Cells were seeded in chamber slides and either infected with virus or mock infected as indicated below. At the indicated times postinfection, cells were fixed in 3% (wt/vol) paraformaldehyde, incubated in 0.1% (vol/vol) Triton X-100 in PBS, and blocked with 10% (vol/vol) normal goat serum. The slides were then sequentially stained with the appropriate dilutions of primary and secondary antibodies and washed before Vectashield mounting medium (Vector Laboratories) was applied. Slides were sealed under coverslips and examined by immunofluorescent microscopy using an Axiovert phase-contrast microscope in the University of Texas Southwestern Pathogen Imaging Facility.
Expression microarray format and data analysis.
Microarray formats and protocols for probe labeling and array hybridization are described at http://expression.viromics.washington.edu. Briefly, a single experiment comparing two mRNA samples was performed with four replicate mouse (version 2) 22,000-oligonucleotide expression arrays (Agilent Technologies) by using the dye label reverse technique. This allows for the calculation of mean ratios between expression levels of each gene in the sample pair analyzed, standard deviations, and P values for each experiment. Spot quantitation, normalization, and application of a platform-specific error model were performed using Agilent's Feature Extractor software, and all data were then entered into a custom-designed database, Expression Array Manager, and uploaded into the Rosetta Resolver system (version 6.0.0.2.8) for TaqMan (Rosetta Biosoftware, Kirkland, WA) and into the Spotfire DecisionSite for Functional Genomics (version 8.1; Spotfire, Somerville, MA). Data normalization and the resolver error model are described at the Public Microarray Data Download Site of the University of Washington Department of Microbiology (http://expression.viromics.washington.edu). This website is also used to publish all primary data in accordance with the proposed MIAME (minimum information about a microarray experiment) standards (3). Selection of genes for data analysis was based on a >99% probability of their being differentially expressed (P
0.01) and a change of twofold or more in at least two experiments.
qPCR.
Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) was used to validate the gene expression changes and measure influenza virus A/PR/8/34 hemagglutinin (HA) and NP RNA expression in infected MEFs. The results of the qPCR for selected genes are presented in Fig. 5C; additional data are available upon request. Total-RNA samples were treated with DNA-free DNase Treatment and Removal Reagents (Ambion, Austin, TX). Reverse transcription was performed using random hexamer primers and TaqMan reverse transcription reagents (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA). Real-time PCR was performed using an ABI 7500 real-time PCR system and TaqMan chemistry. Each target was run in triplicate with TaqMan 2x PCR Universal Master Mix and a 20-µl total reaction volume. Primer and probe sets for relative quantification were selected from the Assays-on-Demand product list (Applied Biosystems), including endogenous controls and 18S rRNA. Each gene was quantified, relative to the calibrator, according to the method of Pfaffl (30). Briefly, expression values were calculated using the following equation: log ratio = 2
CP as defined by manufacturer's instructions. Probes used for analysis (Applied Biosystems) were as follows (product numbers for probes are in parentheses): the human gene eukaryotic 18S rRNA (Hs99999901_s1) and mouse genes Ifit1 (Mm00515153_m1), Ifit2 (Mm00492606_m1), Stat1 (Mm00439518_m1), Isgf3g (Mm0049267_m1), Ifih1 (Mm00459183_m1), Tlr3 (Mm00556577_m1), Irf7 (Mm00516788_m1), Ifna6 (Mm02524285_g1), Ifnb1 (Mm00439546_s1), Ddx58_C11 (Mm01216863_m1), and Ddx58_C12 (Mm01216864_m1).
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FIG. 5. Identification of RIG-I-responsive genes by functional genomics analyses. wt or RIG-I–/– mouse fibroblasts were either mock infected or infected with influenza virus A/PR/8/34 at a multiplicity of infection of 5. At 8 and 26 h postinfection, cells were collected and cellular RNA extracted for DNA microarray or qPCR analyses as described in the text. (A) (Top) Numbers of differentially expressed genes (up- or down-regulated more than twofold) as identified by DNA microarray analyses in wt and RIG-I–/– cells following influenza virus A/PR/8/34 infection at 8 and 26 h relative to expression in mock-infected cells. (Bottom) Table showing the total numbers of differentially expressed genes and the breakdown of genes that were differentially expressed as a percentage of total genes analyzed. (B) Heat map showing the differential expression of a bioset of RIG-I-responsive genes following influenza virus A/PR/8/34 infection. (C) Gene expression of IFN- 6 and IFN-β was verified by qualitative real-time PCR. (D) Numbers of genes, segregated by their known functions, whose expression was determined by a DNA microarray to be induced more than twofold following influenza virus A/PR/8/34 infection for 8 and 26 h. Additional data are available at http://expression.viromics.washington.edu. (E) Qualitative real-time PCR analysis for viral HA protein and NP in RNA extracted from wt or RIG-I–/– cells that were either mock infected or infected with influenza virus A/PR/8/34 for 8 or 26 h.
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FIG. 1. RIG-I-dependent signaling of the innate immune response during paramyxovirus infection. (A) wt, RIG-I–/–, or MDA5–/– mouse fibroblasts were either mock infected (right panels) or infected with SenV at 100 HA units/ml of medium (left panels) for 12 h. Cells were fixed and stained with primary antibodies specific for IRF-3 and SenV, followed by fluorescent dye-conjugated secondary antibodies. Cellular distribution of IRF-3 (green), SenV gene products (red), and 4',6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI)-stained nuclei (blue) was visualized by immunofluorescence microscopy. (B) wt, RIG-I–/–, or MDA5–/– mouse fibroblasts were either mock infected (M) or infected with SenV (SV) at 100 HA units/ml of medium for 24 h (left) or with NDV at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 5 for the indicated times (hours) (right). (C) wt, RIG-I–/–, or MDA5–/– mouse fibroblasts were either mock infected or infected with RSV (left) or GFP-RSV (right) at an MOI of 5 for the indicated times (hours). Cells were collected and analyzed by immunoblotting for expression of ISG15, ISG54, ISG56, RIG-I, MDA5, viral proteins, and actin (used as a control). (D) wt, RIG-I–/–, or MDA5–/– mouse fibroblasts were either mock infected or infected with either RFP-NDV (left) or GFP-RSV (right) at the indicated MOI for 48 h; then they were fixed, and virus replication was analyzed using fluorescence microscopy.
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FIG. 2. DEN and reoviruses trigger the innate immune response independently of RIG-I or MDA5. (A) wt, RIG-I–/–, or MDA5–/– mouse fibroblasts were either mock infected or infected with DEN2 at a multiplicity of infection of 1. (Left) Extracts derived from cells that were mock infected (M) or infected with DEN2 for the indicated times (in hours) were analyzed by immunoblotting for the abundance of IRF-3-responsive genes, RIG-I, MDA5, DEN2 NS1, and actin (used as a control). (Right) At 16 h postinfection, cells were fixed and stained with primary antibodies specific for IRF-3, followed by fluorescent-dye-conjugated secondary antibodies. Cellular distribution of IRF-3 (green) and 4',6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI)-stained nuclei (blue) was analyzed by immunofluorescence microscopy. (B) wt, RIG-I–/–, or MDA5–/– mouse fibroblasts were either mock infected (M) or infected with either reovirus T3D or reovirus T1L at a multiplicity of infection of 25. At the indicated times postinfection (in hours), cells were harvested and the extracts analyzed by immunoblotting. We note that a significantly longer exposure time was necessary for the detection of ISG54 and ISG56 in reovirus T1L-infected cells. (C) RIG-I–/– mouse fibroblasts were infected with lentivirus particles expressing either a shRNA to MDA5 (shRNA 998, 2067, 2911, 3265, or 3547) or a nontargeting shRNA control (Neg). At 36 h postinfection, cells were either mock infected (–) or infected (+) with either DEN (left) or reovirus T3D (right) at multiplicities of infection of 1 and 25, respectively. Cells were harvested 48 h postinfection (84 h after infection with lentivirus) and the extracts analyzed by immunoblotting. For controls, extracts of RIG-I–/– cells that were mock treated (M) or treated with exogenous IFN-β were also subjected to immunoblot analysis. **MDA5 indicates an image of MDA5 protein expression taken after a significantly longer exposure time.
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FIG. 3. IPS-1 is essential for triggering of the innate immune response during paramyxovirus, reovirus, or DEN infection. (A) wt or IPS-1–/– mouse fibroblasts were either mock infected or infected with SenV at 100 HA units/ml. (Left) Cells were fixed and stained with primary and fluorescent-dye-conjugated secondary antibodies at 12 h postinfection. The cellular distribution of IRF-3 (green), SenV-infected cells (red), and nuclei of cells (blue) (stained with 4',6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole [DAPI]) was detected by fluorescence microscopy. (Right) At 24 h, mock-infected (M) and SenV-infected (SV) cells were collected and analyzed by immunoblotting for the abundances of ISG54, RIG-I, MDA5, IPS-1, viral antigen, and actin (used as a control). (B) wt or IPS-1–/– mouse fibroblasts were either mock infected or infected (V) with either reovirus T3D at a multiplicity of infection of 25 or DEN2 at a multiplicity of infection of 1. At 24 h postinfection, cells were collected and analyzed for the abundances of RIG-I, MDA5, ISG54, viral antigen, and actin (used as a control). (C) wt or IPS-1–/– mouse fibroblasts were either mock infected or infected with DEN2 at a multiplicity of infection of 1 for 24 h. Cells were fixed, stained with primary and fluorescent-dye-conjugated secondary antibodies, and analyzed by immunofluorescent microscopy for the cellular distribution of IRF-3 (green) and the detection of DEN2-infected cells (red) and DAPI-stained nuclei (blue). (D) HeLa cells were transfected with IFN-β promoter-luciferase and Renilla luciferase reporter plasmids and either a siRNA pool that is known to suppress IPS-1 or RIG-I expression or a nonspecific control siRNA (scrambled). At 24 h posttransfection, cells were either mock infected or infected with either SenV at 100 HA units/ml or DEN2 at a multiplicity of infection of 1. Cells were collected at 24 h postinfection and analyzed for relative luciferase activity. Error bars, standard deviations calculated from three independent experiments.
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FIG. 4. RIG-I- and IPS-1-dependent innate immune signaling by orthomyxoviruses. (A) (Left panels) wt or RIG-I–/– mouse fibroblasts were either mock infected or infected with influenza virus A/PR/8/34 at a multiplicity of infection of 5. At 12 h postinfection, cells were fixed and analyzed for host response activation by staining for IRF-3 (green) and nuclei (blue). (Right panel) In parallel experiments, cells were fixed and analyzed for the frequency of virus infection by staining for influenza A virus NP (red) and nuclei (blue). (B and C) wt, RIG-I–/–, or MDA5–/– mouse fibroblasts were either mock infected (M) or infected with influenza virus A/PR/8/34 or A/Udorn/72 (B) or with influenza virus B/Yamagata (C) at a multiplicity of infection of 5. At the indicated hours postinfection, cells were collected and analyzed by immunoblotting for the abundances of IRF-3-responsive genes, MDA5, RIG-I, influenza virus NP or NS1B protein, and actin (used as a control). (D) HeLa cells were transfected with IFN-β promoter-luciferase and Renilla luciferase reporter plasmids and either a siRNA pool that has been shown to suppress IPS-1 or RIG-I expression or a control siRNA with no known targets (Scrambled). At 24 h posttransfection, cells were either mock infected or infected with influenza virus A/PR/8delNS1 at a multiplicity of infection of 5. Cells were collected 18 h postinfection and analyzed for dual luciferase activity(expressed as relative IFN-β promoter activity). Error bars, standard deviations calculated from three independent experiments. (E) Huh7 or Huh7.5 cells were transfected with IFN-β promoter-luciferase and Renilla luciferase reporter plasmids for 24 h and then were either mock transfected or transfected with either vRNA or a synthetic double-stranded RNA control [poly(I:C)]. At 12 h after RNA transfection (36 h after plasmid DNA transfection), cells were collected and analyzed for dual luciferase activity. The results are expressed as relative IFN-β promoter activity. Error bars, standard deviations calculated from three independent experiments. (F) wt or IPS-1–/– mouse fibroblasts were either mock infected (M) or infected with influenza virus A/Udorn/72 (Ud) or A/PR/8/34 (P) at a multiplicity of infection of 5. At 18 h postinfection, cells were collected and the extracts analyzed for the abundances of RIG-I, MDA5, ISG54, actin (used as a control), and viral NP by immunoblotting.
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To further define the role of RIG-I in signaling host gene expression, we conducted functional genomics analyses to define the cellular genes whose expression is controlled by RIG-I during influenza A virus infection. We designed our bioinformatics analysis to identify RIG-I-responsive genes in cells by comparing wt and RIG-I–/– cells that had been either mock infected or infected with influenza A/PR/8/34 virus for 8 or 26 h. Overall, the number of differentially expressed genes in RIG-I–/– cells far exceeded that in wt cells after influenza virus A/PR/8/34 infection at both time points (Fig. 5A). Our data show that infection with influenza virus A/PR/8/34 triggered the expression of a number of immune system-related genes that are not expressed, or whose expression is altered, in the absence of RIG-I (Fig. 5B). In particular, RIG-I–/– cells show a profound lack of expression of a bioset of genes whose products are involved in innate defenses during influenza A virus infection. In agreement with the immunoblot results, we found that IFN-
/β gene expression is significantly attenuated in the absence of RIG-I (expression of IFN-
6 and IFN-β [Fig. 5B and C]). There was also a lack of expression of genes whose products are involved in IFN-
/β production and signaling (such as IRF3, IRF7, Stat1, and Stat2) and of ISGs with direct antiviral actions, including PKR, OAS, Mx-1, ISG54, ISG56, and Viperin, in RIG-I–/– cells (Fig. 5B and data not shown). Moreover, TLR3 and MDA5 (Ifih1) expression was attenuated overall in RIG-I–/– cells.
Expression profiling also showed a lack of expression of several genes involved in antigen presentation and the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines in RIG-I–/– cells (Fig. 5D), suggesting that RIG-I signaling may further impact those immune processes during influenza A virus infection. The absence of RIG-I also resulted in reduced expression of a subset of genes following influenza virus A/PR/8/34 infection (Fig. 5A), suggesting that RIG-I may further regulate the maintenance of basal-level expression of these genes. In contrast, the expression of genes involved in TLR signaling of the proinflammatory response, apoptosis, and interleukin-1 signaling of chemokine secretion was elevated in the absence of RIG-I (Fig. 5D); the primary microarray data for these genes are available at http://expression.viromics.washington.edu. Viral gene expression was further verified by qPCR, and the analyses showed that at all times tested, viral HA and NP genes were transcribed to higher levels in RIG-I–/– cells than in wt cells (Fig. 5E). Taken together, our results indicate that influenza viruses can engage RIG-I during infection, resulting in innate immune signaling and induction of genes broadly involved in immunity and inflammation.
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B (12, 44). Importantly, the mitochondrial localization of IPS-1 must be maintained in order to support these signaling functions (26, 35). The requirement for mitochondrial placement of IPS-1 indicates that its function requires mitochondrial cofactors that cooperate in factor recruitment and/or IPS-1 signaling actions. By extension, our results imply that mitochondrial cofactors of IPS-1 signaling play an essential role in innate immunity against the genera of RNA viruses examined in the current study. Progress has been made in discerning the molecular signatures recognized by RIG-I during virus infection, but it is still unclear what minimal features are required for virus recognition by MDA5. In other work and in this study, RIG-I has been shown to trigger innate immune defenses during infection by paramyxoviruses, orthomyxoviruses, and the rhabdovirus vesicular stomatitis virus (17, 41), and it is suggested to play a role in recognizing the single-stranded RNA genome of the filovirus Ebola virus (4) as well as EBER RNA, carried by Epstein-Barr virus (34) (Fig. 6). In contrast, MDA5 uniquely triggers innate immune defenses during picornavirus infections (10, 17). Despite similarities in genomic features and replication strategies, members of the Flaviviridae exhibit differential triggering of the innate immune response. Whereas Japanese encephalitis virus and hepatitis C virus initiated a primarily RIG-I dependent response (6, 17, 26, 37), strains of West Nile virus (9) and DEN triggered RIG-I- and MDA5-dependent signaling, suggesting that flaviviruses may have genomic features that can be discerned by both RIG-I and MDA5. The results of our study therefore substantiate accumulating evidence for unique and redundant roles of RIG-I and MDA5 in signaling that converges on IPS-1 to direct innate immune defenses during virus infection. Identification of the specific molecular patterns or features that trigger RIG-I or MDA5 signaling may lead to targeted and specific antiviral strategies against infection.
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FIG. 6. Model of viral nucleic acid pathogen-associated molecular pattern recognition and signaling to IFN-β by RIG-I and MDA5 during infection by different RNA viruses. Shown is a summary of published results (with reference numbers in parentheses) demonstrating virus-induced RIG-I and MDA5 signaling of the innate immune response. Genomic features of viruses are described in brief: positive sense (+) versus negative sense (–); single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) versus double-stranded RNA (dsRNA); segmented (S) versus nonsegmented (NS) genomes. In fibroblasts, epithelial cells, and certain immune cells, signaling by RIG-I and MDA5 converges on IPS-1 to rapidly trigger IFN- /β production and ISG expression. Of the viruses listed, reovirus, DEN2, and West Nile virus are unique in being able to signal both RIG-I-dependent and RIG-I-independent responses.
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This study was supported by the University of Washington; NIH grants R01 AI22646, R01 AI46954, and R01AI060389 to M.G.K., A.G.-S., and M.G., respectively; an NIH-funded center to investigate viral immunity and antagonism (CIVIA, U19 AI62623; to A.G.-S.); and an NIH-funded training grant (CA09229-28; to J.F.). M.G. is additionally supported by funding from the Burroughs-Wellcome Fund and a gift from R. and R. Batcheldor.
Published ahead of print on 17 October 2007. ![]()
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B activation. Microbes Infect. 8:157-171.[CrossRef][Medline]
B and IRF 3. Cell 122:669-682.[CrossRef][Medline]
B and interferon regulatory factor signaling pathways. Nat. Immunol. doi:10.1038/ni1465.[CrossRef][Medline]This article has been cited by other articles:
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