RNA binding motif 4 inhibits the replication of ebolavirus by directly targeting 3′-leader region of genomic RNA

Abstract

Ebola virus (EBOV) belongs to Filoviridae family possessing single-stranded negative-sense RNA genome, which is a serious threat to human health. Nowadays, no therapeutics was proved to be successful to efficiently decrease the mortality rate. RNA binding proteins (RBPs) are reported to participate in maintaining cell integrity and regulation of viral replication. However, little is known about whether and how RBPs participate in regulating the life cycle of EBOV. In our study, we found that RNA binding motif protein 4 (RBM4) inhibited the replication of EBOV in HEK293T and Huh-7 cells through suppressing viral mRNA production. And such inhibition was resulted from the directly interaction between the RRM1 domain of RBM4 and the “CU” enrichment elements located in the PE1 and TSS of the 3′-leader region within the viral genome. Simultaneously, RBM4 could upregulate the expression of some cytokines involved in the host innate immune responses to synergistically exert its antiviral function. The findings therefore suggest that RBM4 might serve as a novel target of anti-EBOV strategy.