Human TRIM14 protects transgenic mice from influenza A viral infection without activation of other innate immunity pathways.

Abstract

TRIM14 is an important component of innate immunity that defends organism from various viruses. It was shown that TRIM14 restricted influenza A virus (IAV) infection in cell cultures in an interferon-independent manner. However, it remained unclear whether TRIM14 affects IAV reproduction and immune system responses upon IAV infection in vivo. In order to investigate the effects of TRIM14 at the organismal level we generated transgenic mice overexpressing human TRIM14 gene. We found that IAV reproduction was strongly inhibited in lungs of transgenic mice, resulting in the increased survival of transgenic animals. Strikingly, upon IAV infection, the transcription of genes encoding interferons, IL-6, IL-1β, and TNFα was notably weaker in lungs of transgenic animals than that in control mice, thus indicating the absence of significant induction of interferon and inflammatory responses. In spleen of transgenic mice, where TRIM14 was unexpectedly downregulated, upon IAV infection the transcription of genes encoding interferons was oppositely increased. Therefore, we demonstrated the key role of TRIM14 in anti-IAV protection in the model organism that is realized without noticeable activation of other innate immune system pathways.