Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus accessory protein 4a is a type I interferon antagonist

J Virol. 2013 Nov;87(22):12489-95. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01845-13. Epub 2013 Sep 11.

Abstract

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) causes severe acute respiratory infection with as yet unclear epidemiology. We previously showed that MERS-CoV counteracts parts of the innate immune response in human bronchiolar cells. Here we analyzed accessory proteins 3, 4a, 4b, and 5 for their abilities to inhibit the type I interferon response. Accessory protein 4a was found to block interferon induction at the level of melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5) activation presumably by direct interaction with double-stranded RNA.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Coronavirus / growth & development
  • Coronavirus / pathogenicity*
  • Coronavirus Infections / immunology
  • Coronavirus Infections / metabolism
  • Coronavirus Infections / virology*
  • Humans
  • Immunity, Innate / immunology*
  • Interferon Type I / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Middle East
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • RNA, Double-Stranded / metabolism
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / immunology
  • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / metabolism
  • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / virology*
  • Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins / metabolism*

Substances

  • Interferon Type I
  • RNA, Double-Stranded
  • Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins