A specific domain within the 3' untranslated region of Usutu virus confers resistance to the exonuclease ISG20.

ABSTRACT: Usutu virus (USUV) and West Nile virus (WNV) are two closely related emerging mosquito-borne flaviviruses. Their natural hosts are wild birds, but they can also cause severe neurological disorders in humans. Both viruses are efficiently suppressed by type I interferon (IFN), which interferes with viral replication, dissemination, pathogenesis and transmission. Here, we show that the replication of USUV and WNV are inhibited through a common set of IFN-induced genes (ISGs), with the notable exception of ISG20, which USUV is resistant to. Strikingly, USUV was the only virus among all the other tested mosquito-borne flaviviruses that demonstrated resistance to the 3'-5' exonuclease activity of ISG20. Our findings highlight that the intrinsic resistance of the USUV genome, irrespective of the

SUBMITTER: Zoladek J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11447015 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature