The interplay between influenza A viruses (IAV) and p53 has only been reported in a limited number of studies, mainly focusing on the antiviral role of p53. We investigated the impact of IAV infection on p53 stability and transcriptional activity. Our results indicate that IAV-induced stabilization of p53 only partially correlates with modulation of p53 transcriptional activity measured during infection. Moreover, we show that the viral non-structural protein 1 (NS1) is able to inhibit p53 transcriptional activity, in a promoter-dependent manner. Based on these data, we propose that NS1 may contribute to p53-mediated cell fate decision during IAV infection.
Keywords: Influenza virus; Non-structural protein NS1; Orthomyxoviridae; Transcription factor; p53.
Copyright © 2013 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.