A giant GTPase, very large inducible GTPase-1, is inducible by IFNs

The complex, partially overlapping, cellular responses to IFN type I (IFN-alpha and -beta) and IFN type II (IFN-gamma) involve several hundred genes that can be largely classified in terms of specific cellular programs functional in innate and adaptive immunity. Among these programs are previously unconsidered mechanisms of cell-autonomous resistance against various pathogens mediated by dedicated, largely novel families of GTPases. We report here the identification and characterization of a new GTPase family that contributes to the cellular response to both type I and type II IFNs. We name this family the very large inducible GTPases (VLIGs). The prototype VLIG, VLIG-1, is a strongly IFN-inducible, soluble, cytosolic and nuclear protein of 280 kDa. The open reading frame of VLIG-1 is encoded on a single very large exon, and outside the canonical GTP-binding motifs, sequence and structural prediction suggest a unique family without significant relationship to other known protein families. Within the GTPase superfamily the VLIG family is more closely related to IFN-inducible GTPases mediating cell-autonomous resistance than to other GTPase families. In addition, we provide evidence that VLIG-1 is polymorphic in mice of different genetic backgrounds and is a member of a small gene family on mouse chromosome 7 with a conserved homologue located on human chromosome 11.