The E3 ligase TRIM56 is a host restriction factor of Zika virus and depends on its RNA-binding activity but not miRNA regulation, for antiviral function

Yang, Darong; Li, Nan L.; Wei, Dahai; Liu, Baoming; Guo, Fang; Elbahesh, Husni; Zhang, Yunzhi; Zhou, Zhi; Chen, Guo-Yun; Li, Kui

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a small, enveloped RNA virus classified within the family Flaviviridae, genus flavivirus, which also includes medically important pathogens such as dengue virus (DENV), West Nile virus (WNV), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), and yellow fever virus (YFV) [1] , among others. As with other flaviviruses, ZIKV possesses a~11-kb long, singlestranded RNA genome of positive polarity. After infecting susceptible cells, the viral genomic RNA is released into the cytoplasm and subsequently translated to a large polyprotein that is cleaved into three structural proteins (C, prM/M, and E) and seven non-structural (NS) proteins (NS1, NS2A, NS2B, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, and NS5) by a combination of viral and host proteases [2] . While the structural proteins make up the virions, viral NS proteins along with the genomic RNA template assemble into replicase complexes on cytoplasmic membrane structures, synthesizing nascent viral RNAs that are packaged into progeny viruses and released from infected cells to go on infecting naïve cells [2] . The replication and pathogenesis of ZIKV depend upon its intricate interplay with host factors, much of which, however, remains to be elucidated.