Long noncoding RNA 1392 regulates MDA5 by interaction with ELAVL1 to inhibit coxsackievirus B5 infection

Long noncoding RNAs(lncRNAs)modulate many aspects of biological and pathological processes.Recent studies have shown that host lncRNAs participate in the antiviral immune response,but functional lncRNAs in coxsackievirus B5(CVB5)infection remain unknown.Here,we identified a novel cytoplasmic lncRNA,LINC1392,which was highly inducible in CVB5 infected RD cells in a time-and dose-dependent manner,and also can be induced by the viral RNA and IFN-β.Further investigation showed that LINC1392 promoted several important interferon-stimulated genes(ISGs)expression,including IFIT1,IFIT2,and IFITM3 by activating MDA5,thereby inhibiting the replication of CVB5 in vitro.Mechanistically,LINC1392 bound to ELAV like RNA binding protein 1(ELAVL1)and blocked ELAVL1 interaction with MDA5.Functional study revealed that the 245–835 nt locus of LINC1392 exerted the antiviral effect and was also an important site for ELAVL1 binding.In mice,LINC1392 could inhibit CVB5 replication and alleviated the histopathological lesions of intestinal and brain tissues induced by viral infection.Our findings collectively reveal that the novel LINC1392 acts as a positive regulator in the IFN-I signaling pathway against CVB5 infection.Elucidating the underlying mechanisms on how lncRNA regulats the host innate immunity response towards CVB5 infection will lay the foundation for antiviral drug research.

The nonstructural protein 2C of Coxsackie B virus has RNA helicase and chaperoning activities

RNA-remodeling proteins,including RNA helicases and chaperones,play vital roles in the remodeling of structured RNAs.During viral replication,viruses require RNA-remodeling proteins to facilitate proper folding and/or re-folding the viral RNA elements.Coxsackieviruses B3(CVB3)and Coxsackieviruses B5(CVB5),belonging to the genus Enterovirus in the family Picornaviridae,have been reported to cause various infectious diseases such as hand-foot-and-mouth disease,aseptic meningitis,and viral myocarditis.However,little is known about whether CVB3 and CVB5 encode any RNA remodeling proteins.In this study,we showed that 2C proteins of CVB3 and CVB5 contained the conserved SF3 helicase A,B,and C motifs,and functioned not only as RNA helicase that unwound RNA helix bidirectionally in an NTP-dependent manner,but also as RNA chaperone that remodeled structured RNAs and facilitated RNA strand annealing independently of NTP.In addition,we determined that the NTPase activity and RNA helicase activity of 2C proteins of CVB3 and CVB5 were dependent on the presence of divalent metallic ions.Our findings demonstrate that 2C proteins of CVBs possess RNA-remodeling activity and underline the functional importance of 2C protein in the life cycle of CVBs.