Species-specific gene programs define divergent antiviral responses in Marburg virus reservoir bats and humans
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Updated: Oct 30, 2026

Arbovirus Infections As Screening Tools for the Identification of Viral Immunomodulators and Host Antiviral Factors
Published on: September 13, 2018
André Filipe Pastor1, Shruti Shirsathe1, Santiago Vidal-Freire1
1Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
Abstract:
Bats tolerate viruses that cause severe disease in humans. Egyptian rousette bats, the natural reservoirs of Marburg virus (MARV), sustain asymptomatic infection, whereas humans develop severe and fatal disease. To define the basis of this divergence, we establish a comparative framework using primary and immortalized Egyptian rousette and human cells exposed to double-stranded RNA and interferon (IFN). Bat cells upregulate antiviral effectors while limiting inflammatory amplifiers, a pattern further supported by analysis of independent in vivo MARV infection datasets. In contrast, human cells activate antiviral programs and immune hyperactivation in response to MARV. Integrating transcriptomic and proteomic analyses, we identify species-specific immune programs encompassing differential IFN-stimulated gene regulation, apoptotic control, and cytokine signaling. Our findings establish an integrative framework for understanding species-specific antiviral responses associated with MARV reservoir biology, identify pathways linked to immunopathogenesis in humans, and provide a foundation for future studies of host responses to filovirus infection.
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