Table 1.
Summary of the Anti-viral Functions of Key Intracellular Innate Immune Mediators
| Gene | Alias | Summary of Function | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tlr9 | detects unmethylated CpG DNA within the cytosol to activate downstream anti-viral responses | 24 | |
| Rig-I | Ddx58 | detects cytosolic viral RNA, including sequences that have been transcribed by RNA polymerase III from AT-rich dsDNA | 37 |
| Cgas | Mb21d1 | detects cytosolic dsDNA and synthesizes the secondary signaling molecule cGAMP | 38, 39 |
| Sting | Tmem173 | activated by cGAMP, stimulates TBK1 to phosphorylate IRF3, which can induce type I interferon response | 40, 41 |
| Trim21 | detects and neutralizes antibody-bound virions after endosomal escape | 42, 43 | |
| Ifn-γ | type II interferon that controls innate and adaptive anti-viral immune responses | 44 | |
| Tnf-α | proinflammatory cytokine that can induce the breakdown of the blood-retina barrier | 25, 26, 27 | |
| Cxcl10 | chemokine secreted in response to IFN-γ and activates leukocytes to regulate immune responses | 45 | |
| Isg15 | an ubiquitin-like molecule stimulated by type I interferon in response to viral infection; covalent and non-covalent binding can disrupt viral replication | 46 | |
| Apobec3 | deaminates cytidine to uridine in viral DNA, causing hypermutations that inhibit viral replication | 47 | |
| Apobec2 | lacks identifiable cytidine deaminase activity and no known anti-viral activity | 48 | |
| Aid | Aicda | cytidine deaminase involved in immunoglobulin gene hypermutation and class switching | 49 |
Tlr9, Toll-like receptor 9; Ddx58, DExD/H-Box Helicase 58; Rig-I, retinoic acid-inducible gene 1; Mb21d1, mab-21 domain containing 1; Cgas, cyclic GMP-AMP synthase; dsDNA, double-stranded DNA; cGAMP, cyclic GMP-AMP; Tmem173, transmembrane protein 173; Sting, stimulator of interferon genes; TBK1, TANK-binding kinase 1; IRF3, interferon regulatory factor 3; Trim21, tripartite motif containing 21; Tnf-α, tumor necrosis factor-α; Ifn-γ, interferon-γ; Cxcl10, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10; Isg15, interferon-stimulated gene 15; Apobec3, apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide 3; Aicda, activation-induced cytidine deaminase (Aid).