A repetitive region of gammaherpesvirus genomic DNA is a ligand for induction of type I interferon.
Innate immune responses against viral infection, especially the induction of type I interferon, are critical for limiting the replication of the virus. Although it has been shown that DNA can induce type I interferon, to date no natural DNA ligand of a virus that induces type I interferon has been described. Here we screened the genome of murine gammaherpesvirus 68 with mutations at various genomic locations to map the region of DNA that induces type I interferon. A repetitive region termed the 100-base-pair repeat region is a ligand that is both necessary and sufficient for the viral genomic DNA to induce type I interferon. A region colinear with this ligand in the genome of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus also induces type I interferon. We have thus defined a repetitive region of the genomes of gammaherpesviruses as the first natural DNA virus ligand that induces type I interferon.
Sanchez
David Jesse
DJ
Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Miranda
Daniel
D
Arumugaswami
Vaithilingaraja
V
Hwang
Seungmin
S
Singer
Adam E
AE
Senaati
Ashkon
A
Shahangian
Arash
A
Song
Moon Jung
MJ
Sun
Ren
R
Cheng
Genhong
G
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D022202:Chromosomes, Artificial, Bacterial; D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018142:Gammaherpesvirinae / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008024:Ligands; D051379:Mice; D009154:Mutation
D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral; D007370:Interferon Type I; D008024:Ligands