Phleboviruses and the Type I Interferon Response

• Published in: Viruses Vol. 8; no. 6; p. 174
• Main Authors: Wuerth, Jennifer Deborah, Weber, Friedemann
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 22.06.2016; MDPI
• Subjects: Abortion; Animals; Antiviral Agents - antagonists & inhibitors; Arachnids; Disease; Epidemics; Fever; Gene expression; Genomes; Glycoproteins; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; Illnesses; Immune Evasion; Interferon; Interferon Type I - antagonists & inhibitors; NSs protein; phlebovirus; Phlebovirus - immunology; Phlebovirus - pathogenicity; PKR; Proteins; Review; RIG-I; RNA polymerase; Taxonomy; Thrombocytopenia; Veterinary medicine; Viral Nonstructural Proteins - metabolism; Virulence factors; Viruses; RIG-I; phlebovirus; interferon; PKR; NSs protein
• ISSN: 1999-4915; 1999-4915
• DOI: 10.3390/v8060174

The genus Phlebovirus of the family Bunyaviridae contains a number of emerging virus species which pose a threat to both human and animal health. Most prominent members include Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), sandfly fever Naples virus (SFNV), sandfly fever Sicilian virus (SFSV), Toscana virus (TOSV), Punta Toro virus (PTV), and the two new members severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) and Heartland virus (HRTV). The nonstructural protein NSs is well established as the main phleboviral virulence factor in the mammalian host. NSs acts as antagonist of the antiviral type I interferon (IFN) system. Recent progress in the elucidation of the molecular functions of a growing list of NSs proteins highlights the astonishing variety of strategies employed by phleboviruses to evade the IFN system.