Identification of activity of protein BAT interferon-induced proteins with tetratricopeptide repeats 5 (BAT IFIT5) in the infection of rabies virus in diferente species of bats

• Grant number: 19/03146-2
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: March 01, 2020
• End date: February 28, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Helena Beatriz de Carvalho Ruthner Batista
• Grantee: Helena Beatriz de Carvalho Ruthner Batista
• Host Institution: Instituto Pasteur (IP). Coordenadoria de Controle de Doenças (CCD). Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Ana Claudia Franco ; Paulo Michel Roehe
• Associated scholarship(s): 20/14013-0 - Identification of activity of protein Bat Interferon-induced proteins with tetratricopeptide repeats 5 (bat IFIT5) in the infection of rabies virus in different species of bats, BP.TT; 20/09227-1 - Identification of activity of protein Bat interferon-induced proteins with tetratricopeptide repeats 5 (BAT IFIT5) in the infection of rabies virus in different species of bats, BP.TT

Abstract

Rabies is a zoonosis that reaches the central nervous system of mammals and is responsible for the death of approximately 60,000 people annually worldwide. The disease, is caused by rabies virus (Rabies lyssavirus, RABV), an RNA virus that encodes five proteins and each of them, has a specific role in viral activity and interaction with the host. The increase in viral load and the success of the replication process that will cause a productive infection depends on intrinsic factors of the virus and the ability of the host, through its immune system (IS) to fight infection or not. Just as viruses have mechanisms to circumvent IS, it also has tools to prevent viral infection or at least make it less productive. The secretion of interferon (IFN) is an important mechanism of innate immune response (IR) in the antiviral response. There are different types of IFN, and their expression is regulated by IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). Interferon-induced proteins with tetrapeptide repeats (IFITs) represents an important class of ISGs that when activated encode cytoplasmic proteins capable of interacting with viral RNAs. Bats are currently the main reservoirs of rabies despite to die in consequence of the disease, the detection of antibodies in animals without clinical signs indicates that another kind of interactions between virus and host could happen. The antiviral activity of different IFITs has already been proven against viruses from different families, but there are no studies on its activity against RABV infection. Considering the importance of ISGs on combat of infection, dearth of studies related with interaction between IFITs and RABV, in addittion the importance of bats as reservoir of this virus, the project described has the aim to evaluate the activity of bat IFIT5 front of genetic lineages of RABV characteristics of different species of bats. (AU)