West Nile virus differentially modulates the unfolded protein response to facilitate replication and immune evasion

Abstract

For intracellular survival it is imperative that viruses have the capacity to manipulate various cellular responses, including metabolic and biosynthetic pathways. The unfolded protein response (UPR) is induced by various external and internal stimuli, including the accumulation of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Our previous studies have indicated that the replication and assembly of the flavivirus West Nile virus strain Kunjin virus (WNVKUN) is intimately associated with the ER. Thus, we sought to determine whether the UPR was induced during WNVKUN infection. WNVKUN induces UPR signaling during replication, which is coordinated with peak replication. Interestingly, si..