pMGF505-7R determines pathogenicity of African swine fever virus infection by inhibiting IL-1β and type I IFN production

Author summary African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes a highly lethal swine disease that is currently present in many countries, severely affecting the pig industry. Despite extensive research, effective vaccines and antiviral strategies are still lacking and relevant gaps in knowledge of the fundamental biology of the viral infection cycle exist. In this study, we found that ASFV infection only induced low levels of IL-1 beta and type I IFNs in porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs) and identified that pMGF505-7R, a member of the multigene family 505 (MGF505), strongly inhibited IL-1 beta and IFN-beta production. ASFV lacking the MGF505-7R gene (ASFV-Delta 7R) had reduced virulence in piglets and induced increased IL-1 beta and IFN-beta production in PAMs and pigs compared with its parental ASFV HLJ/18 strain. Our results significantly increase our knowledge to understand functions of ASFV-encoded pMGF505-7R and its roles in pathogenesis, which may shed light on future research on live attenuated vaccines and antiviral strategies. Inflammatory factors and type I interferons (IFNs) are key components of host antiviral innate immune responses, which can be released from the pathogen-infected macrophages. African swine fever virus (ASFV) has developed various strategies to evade host antiviral innate immune responses, including alteration of inflammatory responses and IFNs production. However, the molecular mechanism underlying inhibition of inflammatory responses and IFNs production by ASFV-encoded proteins has not been fully understood. Here we report that ASFV infection only induced low levels of IL-1 beta and type I IFNs in porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs), even in the presence of strong inducers such as LPS and poly(dA:dT). Through further exploration, we found that several members of the multigene family 360 (MGF360) and MGF505 strongly inhibited IL-1 beta maturation and IFN-beta promoter activation. Among them, pMGF505-7R had the strongest inhibitory effect. To verify the function of pMGF505-7R in vivo, a recombinant ASFV with deletion of the MGF505-7R gene (ASFV-Delta 7R) was constructed and assessed. As we expected, ASFV-Delta 7R infection induced higher levels of IL-1 beta and IFN-beta compared with its parental ASFV HLJ/18 strain. ASFV infection-induced IL-1 beta production was then found to be dependent on TLRs/NF-kappa B signaling pathway and NLRP3 inflammasome. Furthermore, we demonstrated that pMGF505-7R interacted with IKK alpha in the IKK complex to inhibit NF-kappa B activation and bound to NLRP3 to inhibit inflammasome formation, leading to decreased IL-1 beta production. Moreover, we found that pMGF505-7R interacted with and inhibited the nuclear translocation of IRF3 to block type I IFN production. Importantly, the virulence of ASFV-Delta 7R is reduced in piglets compared with its parental ASFV HLJ/18 strain, which may due to induction of higher IL-1 beta and type I IFN production in vivo. Our findings provide a new clue to understand the functions of ASFV-encoded pMGF505-7R and its role in viral infection-induced pathogenesis, which might help design antiviral agents or live attenuated vaccines to control ASF.

Automated summary

The study revealed that ASFV infection inhibits the production of IL-1 beta and type I IFNs in porcine alveolar macrophages, highlighting the critical role of pMGF505-7R in this process. ASFV lacking the MGF505-7R gene showed reduced virulence in pigs and induced higher levels of IL-1 beta and IFN-beta production. The findings provide insights into the functions of ASFV-encoded pMGF505-7R and its impact on viral pathogenesis, potentially aiding in the development of antiviral strategies or vaccines to control ASF.