Key result
Viral RNA-degrading factors drive widespread host mRNA decay to blunt immune defenses and promote replication.
Why the study?
Understanding how viral RNA degradation factors regulate host gene expression and promote viral immune evasion and replication remains incompletely understood.
Understanding how viral RNA degradation factors regulate host gene expression provides insights into viral immune evasion and potential therapeutic targets.
May guide antiviral development targeting mRNA decay; leaves open validation of specific mechanisms across viral pathogens.
Many viruses induce shutoff of host gene expression (host shutoff) as a strategy to take over cellular machinery and evade host immunity. Without host shutoff activity, these viruses generally replicate poorly in vivo, attesting to the importance of this antiviral strategy. In this review, we discuss one particularly advantageous way for viruses to induce host shutoff: triggering widespread host messenger RNA (mRNA) decay. Viruses can trigger increased mRNA destruction either directly, by encoding RNA cleaving or decapping enzymes, or indirectly, by activating cellular RNA degradation pathways. We review what is known about the mechanism of action of several viral RNA degradation factors. We then discuss the consequences of widespread RNA degradation on host gene expression and on the mechanisms of immune evasion, highlighting open questions. Answering these questions is critical to understanding how viral RNA degradation factors regulate host gene expression and how this process helps viruses evade host responses and replicate.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Gaucherand et al. (2022) conducted a review in Viral infection (Host shutoff). Viral RNA degrading factors was evaluated. Viral RNA degrading factors induce widespread host mRNA decay, helping viruses evade host immune responses and replicate.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: