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Wen S, Li X, Lv X, Liu K, Ren J, Zhai J, Song Y. Current progress on innate immune evasion mediated by Npro protein of pestiviruses. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1136051. [PMID: 37090696 PMCID: PMC10115221 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1136051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Interferon (IFN), the most effective antiviral cytokine, is involved in innate and adaptive immune responses and is essential to the host defense against virus invasion. Once the host was infected by pathogens, the pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) were recognized by the host pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), which activates interferon regulatory transcription factors (IRFs) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signal transduction pathway to induce IFN expression. Pathogens have acquired many strategies to escape the IFN-mediated antiviral immune response. Pestiviruses cause massive economic losses in the livestock industry worldwide every year. The immune escape strategies acquired by pestiviruses during evolution are among the major difficulties in its control. Previous experiments indicated that Erns, as an envelope glycoprotein unique to pestiviruses with RNase activity, could cleave viral ss- and dsRNAs, therefore inhibiting the host IFN production induced by viral ss- and dsRNAs. In contrast, Npro, the other envelope glycoprotein unique to pestiviruses, mainly stimulates the degradation of transcription factor IRF-3 to confront the IFN response. This review mainly summarized the current progress on mechanisms mediated by Npro of pestiviruses to antagonize IFN production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shubo Wen
- Preventive Veterinary Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonose Prevention and Control, Universities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Tongliao, China
- Beef Cattle Disease Control and Engineering Technology Research Center, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Tongliao, China
| | - Xintong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangyu Lv
- Preventive Veterinary Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao, China
- Beef Cattle Disease Control and Engineering Technology Research Center, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Tongliao, China
| | - Kai Liu
- Preventive Veterinary Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao, China
- Beef Cattle Disease Control and Engineering Technology Research Center, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Tongliao, China
| | - Jingqiang Ren
- Wenzhou Key Laboratory for Virology and Immunology, Institute of Virology, Wenzhou University, Zhejiang, Wenzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Jingqiang Ren, ; Jingbo Zhai, ; Yang Song,
| | - Jingbo Zhai
- Preventive Veterinary Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonose Prevention and Control, Universities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Tongliao, China
- *Correspondence: Jingqiang Ren, ; Jingbo Zhai, ; Yang Song,
| | - Yang Song
- Preventive Veterinary Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonose Prevention and Control, Universities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Tongliao, China
- *Correspondence: Jingqiang Ren, ; Jingbo Zhai, ; Yang Song,
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de Martin E, Schweizer M. Fifty Shades of Erns: Innate Immune Evasion by the Viral Endonucleases of All Pestivirus Species. Viruses 2022; 14:v14020265. [PMID: 35215858 PMCID: PMC8880635 DOI: 10.3390/v14020265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The genus Pestivirus, family Flaviviridae, includes four historically accepted species, i.e., bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV)-1 and -2, classical swine fever virus (CSFV), and border disease virus (BDV). A large number of new pestivirus species were identified in recent years. A common feature of most members is the presence of two unique proteins, Npro and Erns, that pestiviruses evolved to regulate the host’s innate immune response. In addition to its function as a structural envelope glycoprotein, Erns is also released in the extracellular space, where it is endocytosed by neighboring cells. As an endoribonuclease, Erns is able to cleave viral ss- and dsRNAs, thus preventing the stimulation of the host’s interferon (IFN) response. Here, we characterize the basic features of soluble Erns of a large variety of classified and unassigned pestiviruses that have not yet been described. Its ability to form homodimers, its RNase activity, and the ability to inhibit dsRNA-induced IFN synthesis were investigated. Overall, we found large differences between the various Erns proteins that cannot be predicted solely based on their primary amino acid sequences, and that might be the consequence of different virus-host co-evolution histories. This provides valuable information to delineate the structure-function relationship of pestiviral endoribonucleases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena de Martin
- Institute of Virology and Immunology, Länggass-Str. 122, POB, CH-3001 Bern, Switzerland;
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Schweizer
- Institute of Virology and Immunology, Länggass-Str. 122, POB, CH-3001 Bern, Switzerland;
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Correspondence:
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The Molecular Basis for E rns Dimerization in Classical Swine Fever Virus. Viruses 2021; 13:v13112204. [PMID: 34835010 PMCID: PMC8625691 DOI: 10.3390/v13112204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The pestivirus classical swine fever virus (CSFV) represents one of the most important pathogens of swine. Its virulence is dependent on the RNase activity of the essential structural glycoprotein Erns that uses an amphipathic helix as a membrane anchor and forms homodimers via disulfide bonds employing cysteine 171. Dimerization is not necessary for CSFV viability but for its virulence. Mutant Erns proteins lacking cysteine 171 are still able to interact transiently as shown in crosslink experiments. Deletion analysis did not reveal the presence of a primary sequence-defined contact surface essential for dimerization, but indicated a general importance of an intact ectodomain for efficient establishment of dimers. Pseudoreverted viruses reisolated in earlier experiments from pigs with mutations Cys171Ser/Ser209Cys exhibited partially restored virulence and restoration of the ability to form Erns homodimers. Dimer formation was also observed for experimentally mutated proteins, in which other amino acids at different positions of the membrane anchor region of Erns were replaced by cysteine. However, with one exception of two very closely located residues, the formation of disulfide-linked dimers was only observed for cysteine residues located at the same position of the helix.
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Lussi C, de Martin E, Schweizer M. Positively Charged Amino Acids in the Pestiviral E rns Control Cell Entry, Endoribonuclease Activity and Innate Immune Evasion. Viruses 2021; 13:v13081581. [PMID: 34452446 PMCID: PMC8402660 DOI: 10.3390/v13081581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The genus Pestivirus, family Flaviviridae, includes four economically important viruses of livestock, i.e., bovine viral diarrhea virus-1 (BVDV-1) and -2 (BVDV-2), border disease virus (BDV) and classical swine fever virus (CSFV). Erns and Npro, both expressed uniquely by pestiviruses, counteract the host's innate immune defense by interfering with the induction of interferon (IFN) synthesis. The structural envelope protein Erns also exists in a soluble form and, by its endoribonuclease activity, degrades immunostimulatory RNA prior to their activation of pattern recognition receptors. Here, we show that at least three out of four positively-charged residues in the C-terminal glycosaminoglycan (GAG)-binding site of BVDV-Erns are required for efficient cell entry, and that a positively charged region more upstream is not involved in cell entry but rather in RNA-binding. Moreover, the C-terminal domain on its own determines intracellular targeting, as GFP fused to the C-terminal amino acids of Erns was found at the same compartments as wt Erns. In summary, RNase activity and uptake into cells are both required for Erns to act as an IFN antagonist, and the C-terminal amphipathic helix containing the GAG-binding site determines the efficiency of cell entry and its intracellular localization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmela Lussi
- Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI), CH-3001 Bern, Switzerland; (C.L.); (E.d.M.)
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, CH-3001 Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences (GCB), University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Elena de Martin
- Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI), CH-3001 Bern, Switzerland; (C.L.); (E.d.M.)
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, CH-3001 Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences (GCB), University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Schweizer
- Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI), CH-3001 Bern, Switzerland; (C.L.); (E.d.M.)
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, CH-3001 Bern, Switzerland
- Correspondence:
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