An Alternative STAT Signaling Pathway Acts in Viral Immunity in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>.

ABSTRACT: Across metazoans, innate immunity is vital in defending organisms against viral infection. In mammals, antiviral innate immunity is orchestrated by interferon signaling, activating the STAT transcription factors downstream of the JAK kinases to induce expression of antiviral effector genes. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, which lacks the interferon system, the major antiviral response so far described is RNA interference (RNAi), but whether additional gene expression responses are employed is not known. Here we show that, despite the absence of both interferon and JAK, the C. elegans STAT homolog STA-1 orchestrates antiviral immunity. Intriguingly, mutants lacking STA-1 are less permissive to antiviral infection. Using gene expression analysis and chromatin immunoprec

SUBMITTER: Tanguy M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5587905 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature