Equine Arteritis Virus Does Not Induce Interferon Production in Equine Endothelial Cells : Identification of Nonstructural Protein 1 as a Main Interferon Antagonist

Abstract EN

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of equine arteritis virus (EAV) on type I interferon (IFN) production.

Equine endothelial cells (EECs) were infected with the virulent Bucyrus strain (VBS) of EAV and expression of IFN-β was measured at mRNA and protein levels by quantitative real-time RT-PCR and IFN bioassay using vesicular stomatitis virus expressing the green fluorescence protein (VSV-GFP), respectively.

Quantitative RT-PCR results showed that IFN-β mRNA levels in EECs infected with EAV VBS were not increased compared to those in mock-infected cells.

Consistent with quantitative RT-PCR, Sendai virus- (SeV-) induced type I IFN production was inhibited by EAV infection.

Using an IFN-β promoter-luciferase reporter assay, we subsequently demonstrated that EAV nsps 1, 2, and 11 had the capability to inhibit type I IFN activation.

Of these three nsps, nsp1 exhibited the strongest inhibitory effect.

Taken together, these data demonstrate that EAV has the ability to suppress the type I IFN production in EECs and nsp1 may play a critical role to subvert the equine innate immune response.