Long Noncoding RNA ITPRIP-1 Positively Regulates the Innate Immune Response through Promotion of Oligomerization and Activation of MDA5

Hepatitis C virus infection is a global health issue, and there is still no available vaccine, which makes it urgent to reveal the underlying mechanisms of HCV and host factors. Although RIG-I has been recognized as the leading cytoplasmic sensor against HCV for a long time, recent findings that MDA5 regulates the IFN response to HCV have emerged. Our work validates the significant role of MDA5 in IFN signaling and HCV infection and proposes the first lncRNA inhibiting HCV replication by promoting the activation of MDA5 and mediating the association between MDA5 and HCV RNA, the study of which may shed light on the MDA5 function and treatment for hepatitis C patients. Our suggested model of how lncITPRIP-1 orchestrates signal transduction for IFN production illustrates the essential role of lncRNAs in virus elimination.