Interaction of the innate immune system with positive-strand RNA virus replication organelles

The innate immune system forms the first line of defense against pathogens and its initial function is to recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) [1], which ultimately leads to induction of the antiviral state that effectively hampers spread of the infection. The adaptive immune system then kicks in to (in most cases) fully clear the virus and build up memory. Viral RNA is a very potent inducer of innate antiviral signaling [2,3]. Therefore, detection of viral RNA and the subsequent induction of antiviral effector mechanisms play an important part in the onset of an antiviral state in the context of RNA virus infections.
Source: Cytokine and Growth Factor Reviews - Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Source Type: research