Vaccinia E5 is a major inhibitor of the DNA sensor cGAS.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 37217469.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-023-38514-5 and PMC identifier 10201048.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The DNA sensor cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) is critical in host antiviral immunity. Vaccinia virus (VACV) is a large cytoplasmic DNA virus that belongs to the poxvirus family. How vaccinia virus antagonizes the cGAS-mediated cytosolic DNA-sensing pathway is not well understood. In this study, we screened 80 vaccinia genes to identify potential viral inhibitors of the cGAS/Stimulator of interferon gene (STING) pathway. We discovered that vaccinia E5 is a virulence factor and a major inhibitor of cGAS. E5 is responsible for abolishing cGAMP production during vaccinia virus (Western Reserve strain) infection of dendritic cells. E5 localizes to the cytoplasm and nucleus of infected cells. Cytosolic E5 triggers ubiquitination of cGAS and proteasome-dependent degradation via interacting with cGAS. Deleting the E5R gene from the Modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) genome strongly induces type I IFN production by dendritic cells (DCs) and promotes DC maturation, and thereby improves antigen-specific T cell responses.
Medical subject headings
- Nucleotidyltransferases
- Dendritic Cells
- Vaccinia virus
- Viral Proteins