講演要旨

The first responders of human antiviral immunity are components of the innate immune response that reside within each and every one of our cells. This cell-autonomous innate immune system consists of nucleic acid sensors and antiviral effectors strategically placed by evolution to detect and restrict invading viruses. While some components are present at baseline to allow for constant surveillance of the cell interior, others are upregulated by cytokines (such as interferons) that signal a viral infection underway in neighboring cells. Here I will highlight the multiple roles played by the interferon-induced transmembrane (IFITM) proteins during viral infection, with focuses on IFITM3 and HIV-1. By tracking the evolutionary history of IFITM in primates, we found that recurrent gene duplication and divergence has resulted in expanded antiviral coverage in host cells. While appreciated as broadly-acting, potent restriction factors that prevent virus infection and pathogenesis in cell culture and in vivo, questions remain regarding their precise mode of action and importance in certain viral contexts. I will allude to present work in the lab focused on the cellular pathways in which IFITM proteins are intertwined, which may provide important insight into their mode of action. Continued efforts to study IFITM protein function will further cement their status as critical host determinants of virus susceptibility and prioritize them in the development of new antiviral therapies.