Amplification of immunity by engineering chicken MDA5 combined with the C terminal domain (CTD) of RIG-I

Innate immune system is triggered by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) recognition. Retinoic acid-inducible gene 1 (RIG-I) is a major sensor that recognizes RNA ligands. However, chickens have no homologue of RIG-I; instead, they rely on melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5) to recognize RNA ligands, which renders chickens susceptible to infection by influenza A viruses (IAVs). Here, we engineered the cMDA5 viral RNA sensing domain (C-terminal domain, CTD) such that it functions similarly to human RIG-I (hRIG-I) by mutating histidine 925 into phenylalanine, a key residue for hRIG-I RNA binding loop function, or by swapping the CTD of cMDA5 with that of hRIG-I or duck RIG-I (dRIG-I). The engineered cMDA5 gene was expressed in cMDA5 knockout DF-1 cells, and interferon-beta (IFN-β) activity and expression of interferon-related genes were measured after transfection of cells with RNA ligands of hRIG-I or human MDA5 (hMDA5). We found that both mutant cMDA5 and engineered cMDA5 triggered significantly stronger interferon-mediated immune responses than wild-type cMDA5. Moreover, engineered cMDA5 reduced the IAV titer by 100-fold compared with that in control cells. Collectively, engineered cMDA5/RIG-I CTD significantly enhanced interferon-mediated immune responses, making them invaluable strategies for production of IAV-resistant chickens. KEY POINTS: • Mutant chicken MDA5 with critical residue of RIG-I (phenylalanine) enhanced immunity. • Engineered chicken MDA5 with CTD of RIG-I increased IFN-mediated immune responses. • Engineered chicken MDA5 reduced influenza A virus titers by up to 100-fold.