• Media type: E-Article
  • Title: A-to-G Hypermutation in the Genome of Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus
  • Contributor: Zahn, Roland C.; Schelp, Ina; Utermöhlen, Olaf; von Laer, Dorothee
  • Published: American Society for Microbiology, 2007
  • Published in: Journal of Virology, 81 (2007) 2, Seite 457-464
  • Language: English
  • DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00067-06
  • ISSN: 0022-538X; 1098-5514
  • Origination:
  • Footnote:
  • Description: ABSTRACT The interferon-inducible adenosine deaminase that acts on double-stranded RNA (ADAR1-L) has been proposed to be one of the antiviral effector proteins within the complex innate immune response. Here, the potential role of ADAR1-L in the innate immune response to lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), a widely used virus model, was studied. Infection with LCMV clearly upregulated ADAR1-L expression and activity. The editing activity of ADAR1-L on an RNA substrate was not inhibited by LCMV replication. Accordingly, an adenosine-to-guanosine (A-to-G) and uracil-to-cytidine (U-to-C) hypermutation pattern was found in the LCMV genomic RNA in infected cell lines and in mice. In addition, two hypermutated clones with a high level of A-to-G or U-to-C mutations within a short stretch of the viral genome were isolated. Analysis of the functionality of viral glycoprotein revealed that A-to-G- and U-to-C-mutated LCMV genomes coded for nonfunctional glycoprotein at a surprisingly high frequency. Approximately half the GP clones with an amino acid mutation lacked functionality. These results suggest that ADAR1-L-induced mutations in the viral RNA lead to a loss of viral protein function and reduced viral infectivity. This study therefore provides strong support for the contribution of ADAR1-L to the innate antiviral immune response.
  • Access State: Open Access