Inhibition of murine herpesvirus-68 replication by IFN-gamma in macrophages is counteracted by the induction of SOCS1 expression.
PLoS Pathog 2018;
14:e1007202. [PMID:
30075008 PMCID:
PMC6093694 DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1007202]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Revised: 08/15/2018] [Accepted: 07/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Gamma interferon (IFN-γ) is known to negatively regulate murine gammaherpesvirus-68 (MHV-68 or γHV-68) replication. This process involves the suppression of the viral gene replication and transcription activator (RTA) promoter, as well as activation of signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT1). Notably, this effect is gradually attenuated during MHV-68 infection of bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs), which raised the possibility that the virus may utilize a mechanism that counteracts the antiviral effect of IFN-γ. By identifying the cellular factors that negatively regulate JAK-STAT1 signaling, we revealed that the infection of BMMs by MHV-68 induces the expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) and that depletion of SOCS1 restores the inhibitory effect of IFN-γ on virus replication. Moreover, we demonstrated that the expression of SOCS1 was induced as a result of the Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) mediated activation of the NF-κB signaling cascade. In conclusion, we report that TLR3-TRAF-NF-κB signaling pathway play a role in the induction of SOCS1 that counteracts the antiviral effect of IFN-γ during MHV-68 infection. This process is cell type-specific: it is functional in macrophages, but not in epithelial cells or fibroblasts. Our study reveals a mechanism that balances the immune responses and the escape of a gamma-herpesvirus in some antigen-presenting cells.
While viruses have developed various mechanisms to evade immune responses, hosts also have mechanisms to negatively regulate the antiviral signaling pathways to minimize potential damage. In this study, we show that MHV-68, a gamma-herpesvirus, is able to stimulate macrophages to produce the cellular protein SOCS1, which reduces the antiviral effect initiated by IFN-γ, in a cell type specific manner. These findings provide one more example to support the concept that viruses utilize SOCS1 as an immune evasion mechanism. We also show that TLR3-NF-κB signaling is responsible for the induced production of SOCS1. Our finding that TLR3/NF-κB/SOCS1 impedes the action of IFN-γ/STAT1 on RTA might offer a reasonable explanation of how virus-host interaction achieves a balance to facilitate intra-host spreading and transmission.
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