The highly virulent variola and monkeypox viruses express secreted inhibitors of type I interferon.

ABSTRACT: Variola virus (VARV) caused smallpox, one of the most devastating human diseases and the first to be eradicated, but its deliberate release represents a dangerous threat. Virulent orthopoxviruses infecting humans, such as monkeypox virus (MPXV), could fill the niche left by smallpox eradication and the cessation of vaccination. However, immunomodulatory activities and virulence determinants of VARV and MPXV remain largely unexplored. We report the molecular characterization of the VARV- and MPXV-secreted type I interferon-binding proteins, which interact with the cell surface after secretion and prevent type I interferon responses. The proteins expressed in the baculovirus system have been purified, and their interferon-binding properties characterized by surface plasmon resonance. The abi

SUBMITTER: Fernandez de Marco Mdel M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2857867 | biostudies-literature | 2010 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature