Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Dissecting Innate Immune Signaling in Viral Evasion of Cytokine Production
08:32

Dissecting Innate Immune Signaling in Viral Evasion of Cytokine Production

Published on: March 2, 2014

IL-18 binding and inhibition of interferon gamma induction by human poxvirus-encoded proteins

Y Xiang1, B Moss

  • 1Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-0445, USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|September 29, 1999
PubMed

Insights

Molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV) uses proteins to block interleukin-18 (IL-18), a key immune signal. This viral strategy helps MCV evade the host immune system, allowing skin lesions to persist.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Immunology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV) causes persistent skin lesions.
  • MCV encodes proteins similar to mammalian IL-18 binding proteins.
  • Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is crucial for immune responses against viruses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the interaction between MCV proteins and IL-18.
  • To determine if MCV proteins can inhibit IL-18 function.

Main Methods:

  • Expressed and purified MCV proteins (MC53L, MC54L) and their human/murine homologs.
  • Tested the binding affinity of these proteins to human and murine IL-18.
  • Assessed the inhibition of IL-18-mediated interferon-gamma production.

Main Results:

  • All four recombinant proteins bound strongly to IL-18.
  • MCV proteins effectively inhibited IL-18-induced interferon-gamma production in a dose-dependent manner.
  • This suggests poxviruses use IL-18 binding proteins as decoy receptors.

Conclusions:

  • MCV proteins act as decoy receptors for IL-18.
  • This mechanism allows MCV to evade the host immune system.
  • Understanding this interaction is key to combating MCV infections.

More Related Videos

Vaccinia Reporter Viruses for Quantifying Viral Function at All Stages of Gene Expression10:48

Vaccinia Reporter Viruses for Quantifying Viral Function at All Stages of Gene Expression

Published on: May 15, 2014

Rapid, Seamless Generation of Recombinant Poxviruses using Host Range and Visual Selection09:25

Rapid, Seamless Generation of Recombinant Poxviruses using Host Range and Visual Selection

Published on: May 24, 2020

Related Concept Videos

Eukaryotic Transcription Inhibitors01:52

Eukaryotic Transcription Inhibitors

Certain biochemical processes, such as embryonic development and cell growth regulation, depend on the repression of specific genes. DNA binding proteins known as eukaryotic transcription inhibitors regulate the repression of gene expression in eukaryotes. The presence of these inhibitors at the required location and time in the cell is triggered by the presence of hormones and additional signals from other cells.
Eukaryotic transcription inhibitors usually contain two distinct domains, a DNA...
Immune Response Against Viral Pathogens01:29

Immune Response Against Viral Pathogens

The immune system's response to viral infections is a complex and coordinated process involving natural killer (NK) cells, T cell-mediated responses, and antibody-mediated responses.
NK Cells
NK cells are a crucial part of our innate immune system, acting as the first line of defense against viral infections. These cells can recognize and kill infected cells without prior exposure to the virus, effectively slowing down the spread of infection. Additionally, NK cells produce proinflammatory...
Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis01:30

Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis

Protein synthesis is indispensable for viral replication, as viruses lack the cellular machinery required for this process and must hijack the host's translational apparatus. In response, host cells deploy a critical innate immune defense involving interferons, specialized cytokines that play a central role in inhibiting viral propagation.Upon viral detection, infected cells release interferons that bind to receptors on adjacent uninfected cells, activating the JAK-STAT signaling pathway and...
Inhibitors Of Virion Release01:25

Inhibitors Of Virion Release

Viral replication and dissemination rely on efficient mechanisms for host cell entry, genome replication, assembly, and release. Influenza viruses, such as types A and B, are negative-sense single-stranded RNA viruses with a segmented genome, that depend on two critical surface glycoproteins to carry out these processes: hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). HA initiates infection by binding to sialic acid residues on the surface of host epithelial cells, facilitating receptor-mediated...
Inhibitors of Virion Maturation and Assembly01:19

Inhibitors of Virion Maturation and Assembly

As part of their replication cycle, certain viruses synthesize long precursor proteins called polyproteins within infected host cells. In human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), two major polyproteins are produced: Gag and Gag-Pol. The Gag polyprotein supplies the structural components of the virus, while Gag-Pol includes essential viral enzymes such as reverse transcriptase, integrase, and protease. After synthesis, these polyproteins move to the host cell membrane, where they assemble into an...