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Slicing and dicing viruses: antiviral RNA interference in mammals
Author(s) -
Maillard Pierre V,
Veen Annemarthe G,
Poirier Enzo Z,
Reis e Sousa Caetano
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.15252/embj.2018100941
Subject(s) - rna interference , biology , innate immune system , viral replication , antiviral protein , interferon , rna , virology , viral interference , microbiology and biotechnology , intrinsic immunity , immune system , computational biology , virus , genetics , gene
To protect against the harmful consequences of viral infections, organisms are equipped with sophisticated antiviral mechanisms, including cell‐intrinsic means to restrict viral replication and propagation. Plant and invertebrate cells utilise mostly RNA interference ( RNA i), an RNA ‐based mechanism, for cell‐intrinsic immunity to viruses while vertebrates rely on the protein‐based interferon ( IFN )‐driven innate immune system for the same purpose. The RNA i machinery is conserved in vertebrate cells, yet whether antiviral RNA i is still active in mammals and functionally relevant to mammalian antiviral defence is intensely debated. Here, we discuss cellular and viral factors that impact on antiviral RNA i and the contexts in which this system might be at play in mammalian resistance to viral infection.