Influenza A virus circumvents the innate immune response through the sequestration of double-stranded RNA.

ABSTRACT: Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), which induces an innate immune response against viral infections, is rarely detected in influenza A virus (IAV)-infected cells. Nevertheless, we previously reported that the influenza A viral ribonucleoprotein (vRNP) complex generates looped dsRNAs during RNA synthesis in vitro. This finding suggests that IAV possesses a specific mechanism for sequestering dsRNA within infected cells, thereby enabling viral evasion of the innate immune response. Here, we found that dsRNAs were detected in infected cells lacking the expression of viral non-structural protein 1 (NS1) and nuclear export protein (NEP), both encoded by the same RNA segment. Indeed, the looped dsRNA-vRNP complexes were isolated from IAV-infected cells. Interestingly, NS1 molecules masked the e

SUBMITTER: Nakano M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12548412 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature