FIGURE 7.

Proposed model for the regulation of p53-dependent apoptosis and the type I IFN response by PLP2. At the early stage of infection, p53 transactivates the IRF9 and IRF7 genes. At the advanced stage of infection, viral nucleic acids in the cells encode viral proteins, including PLP2, which decreases the stability and transcriptional activity of p53 by increasing the MDM2-mediated ubiquitination and nuclear export of p53 and, in turn, strongly inhibits p53-mediated IFN-β production and apoptosis while promoting viral growth in cells.