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Sci. Signal., 31 May 2011
Vol. 4, Issue 175, p. ec156
[DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.4175ec156]

EDITORS' CHOICE

Virology Hostile Takeover

Kristen L. Mueller

Science, AAAS, Washington, DC 20005, USA

One of the hallmarks of the host’s response to viral infection is the production of interferon cytokines, which trigger the induction of a broad array of antiviral genes. Viperin is an interferon-inducible gene whose expression is induced in response to infection with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). Seo et al. now show that HCMV co-opts viperin to its advantage. vMIA, a virus-encoded protein, interacted with viperin and induced viperin relocalization from the endoplasmic reticulum to the mitochondria in response to infection. Mitochondria-localized viperin inhibited ATP generation in the mitochondria, which resulted in disruption of the actin cytoskeleton and enhanced viral replication.

J.-Y. Seo, R. Yaneva, E. R. Hinson, P. Cresswell, Human cytomegalovirus directly induces the antiviral protein viperin to enhance infectivity. Science 332, 1093–1097 (2011). [Abstract] [Full Text]

Citation: K. L. Mueller, Hostile Takeover. Sci. Signal. 4, ec156 (2011).

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