Antagonism of dsRNA-Induced Innate Immune Pathways by NS4a and NS4b Accessory Proteins during MERS Coronavirus Infection.

ABSTRACT: Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was first identified in 2012 as a novel etiological agent of severe respiratory disease in humans. As during infection by other viruses, host sensing of viral double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) induces several antiviral pathways. These include interferon (IFN), oligoadenylate synthetase (OAS)-RNase L, and protein kinase R (PKR). Coronaviruses, including MERS-CoV, potently suppress the activation of these pathways, inducing only modest host responses. Our study describes the functions of two accessory proteins unique to MERS-CoV and related viruses, NS4a and NS4b, during infection in human airway epithelium-derived A549 cells. NS4a has been previously characterized as a dsRNA binding protein, while NS4b is a 2',5'-phosphodiesterase with struc

SUBMITTER: Comar CE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6437052 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature