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Updated: Feb 24, 2026
Monitoring Activation of the Antiviral Pattern Recognition Receptors RIG-I And PKR By Limited Protease Digestion and Native PAGE
Published on: July 29, 2014
The Ambystoma tigrinum virus (ATV) RNase III gene can modulate host PKR activation and interferon production
Alexander G Allen1, Scott Morgans1, Eric Smith1
1Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, San Marcos, CA 92096, USA.
Abstract:
The iridovirus RNase III gene is one of 26 conserved core genes among the family Iridoviridae. Initial studies suggest this viral protein functions to suppress RNA interference pathways that may attack viral RNA during infection. Therefore, to determine if the Ambystoma tigrinum virus (ATV) RNase III-like gene (ORF 25R) can modulate the host innate immune response fish and human cells ectopically expressing 25R were treated with polyI:C and monitored for interferon synthesis and phosphorylation of eIF2α and PKR. We found a decrease in cellular IFN production and modulation of the PKR pathway. In addition, ATV deleted of the RNase III gene (ATVΔ25R) shows reduced pathogenicity in tiger salamanders. Collectively our data suggest that the ATV 25R protein is a pathogenesis factor that may function to help evade the host's immune response by masking activators of the IFN pathway.
