title: A repetitive region of gammaherpesvirus genomic DNA is a ligand for induction of type I interferon.
abstract: 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.
authors: Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
authors: David Jesse
authors: DJ
authors: Sanchez
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Miranda
authors: Vaithilingaraja
authors: V
authors: Arumugaswami
authors: Seungmin
authors: S
authors: Hwang
authors: Adam E
authors: AE
authors: Singer
authors: Ashkon
authors: A
authors: Senaati
authors: Arash
authors: A
authors: Shahangian
authors: Moon Jung
authors: MJ
authors: Song
authors: Ren
authors: R
authors: Sun
authors: Genhong
authors: G
authors: Cheng
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral; D007370:Interferon Type I; D008024:Ligands