PUBLICATION

Interferon-Induced Genes of the Expanded IFIT Family Show Conserved Antiviral Activities in Non-Mammalian Species

Authors
Varela, M., Diaz-Rosales, P., Pereiro, P., Forn-Cuní, G., Costa, M.M., Dios, S., Romero, A., Figueras, A., Novoa, B.
ID
ZDB-PUB-140621-3
Date
2014
Source
PLoS One   9: e100015 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Figueras, Antonio, Novoa, Beatriz
Keywords
Zebrafish, Interferons, Kidneys, Gene expression, Viral gene expression, Primary cell culture, Viral transmission and infection, Sequence motif analysis
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Evolution, Molecular
  • Gene Duplication/drug effects
  • Humans
  • Interferons/pharmacology*
  • Models, Molecular
  • Organ Specificity
  • Phylogeny
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Repetitive Sequences, Amino Acid*
  • Rhabdoviridae/physiology*
  • Selection, Genetic
  • Sequence Analysis
  • Transcriptional Activation/drug effects*
  • Zebrafish/genetics
  • Zebrafish/virology
  • Zebrafish Proteins/chemistry*
  • Zebrafish Proteins/genetics
  • Zebrafish Proteins/metabolism*
PubMed
24950240 Full text @ PLoS One
Abstract
Interferon-induced proteins with tetratricopeptide repeats (IFITs) are involved in the protective response to viral infection, although the precise mechanism of IFITs for reducing viral proliferation is currently unknown. The interaction with the translation initiation factor eIF-3 or viral proteins and the sequestering of viral RNA have been proposed as potential antiviral functions for these proteins. In humans, four members of this family have been characterized. Nevertheless, information about these proteins in fish is almost non-existent. Exploiting the conservation of synteny between human and zebrafish genomes, we have identified ten members of the IFIT family located on four different chromosomes. The induction of these genes was examined both in vitro and in vivo after interferon (IFN) administration and rhabdovirus challenge. Whereas an induction of IFIT genes was observed after interferon treatments (IFNΦ1, IFNΦ2 and IFNΦ3), the viral infection did not affect these IFN-induced genes in vitro, and even reduced the IFN-induced expression of these genes. The response was largely different in vivo, with a broad up-regulation of IFIT genes after viral challenge. In addition, three selected IFITs were cloned in an expression vector and microinjected into zebrafish larvae to examine the protective effect of IFITs upon viral infection. Reduction in the mortality rate was observed confirming a conserved antiviral function in non-mammalian species.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Show all Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping