viruses Article Viperin, an IFN-Stimulated Protein, Delays Rotavirus Release by Inhibiting Non-Structural Protein 4 (NSP4)-Induced Intrinsic Apoptosis Rakesh Sarkar †, Satabdi Nandi †, Mahadeb Lo, Animesh Gope and Mamta Chawla-Sarkar * Division of Virology, National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, P-33, C.I.T. Road Scheme-XM, Beliaghata, Kolkata 700010, India;
[email protected] (R.S.);
[email protected] (S.N.);
[email protected] (M.L.);
[email protected] (A.G.) * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +91-33-2353-7470; Fax: +91-33-2370-5066 † These authors contributed equally to this work. Abstract: Viral infections lead to expeditious activation of the host’s innate immune responses, most importantly the interferon (IFN) response, which manifests a network of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) that constrain escalating virus replication by fashioning an ill-disposed environment. Interestingly, most viruses, including rotavirus, have evolved numerous strategies to evade or subvert host immune responses to establish successful infection. Several studies have documented the induction of ISGs during rotavirus infection. In this study, we evaluated the induction and antiviral potential of viperin, an ISG, during rotavirus infection. We observed that rotavirus infection, in a stain independent manner, resulted in progressive upregulation of viperin at increasing time points post-infection. Knockdown of viperin had no significant consequence on the production of total Citation: Sarkar, R.; Nandi, S.; Lo, infectious virus particles. Interestingly, substantial escalation in progeny virus release was observed M.; Gope, A.; Chawla-Sarkar, M. upon viperin knockdown, suggesting the antagonistic role of viperin in rotavirus release. Subsequent Viperin, an IFN-Stimulated Protein, studies unveiled that RV-NSP4 triggered relocalization of viperin from the ER, the normal residence Delays Rotavirus Release by Inhibiting of viperin, to mitochondria during infection.