Influenza virus not cRAFTy enough to dodge viperin

  • Cell Host Microbe. 2007 Aug 16;2(2):71-2. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2007.07.005.
Abdul A Waheed  1 ,  Eric O Freed
Affiliations
  • 1. Virus-Cell Interaction Section, HIV Drug Resistance Program, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA.
PMID: 18005719 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2007.07.005
Abstract

Interferons elicit Antiviral responses by inducing the expression of a large number of host cell genes. In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Wang and colleagues report that the interferon-inducible protein viperin inhibits influenza A virus release by impairing the formation of cholesterol-enriched plasma membrane microdomains, or lipid rafts. Viperin appears to disrupt lipid rafts by suppressing the activity of farnesyl diphosphate synthase, a key enzyme in isoprenoid biosynthesis.