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. 2019 Jun 3;4(7):1075–1087. doi: 10.1038/s41564-019-0465-y

Fig. 3. Functions and modes of actions of DVGs.

Fig. 3

a, Overview of the known effects of DVGs on the standard virus and host cells, as well as their impact on viral pathogenesis. b, Proposed mechanism of competition for viral products in cells containing several copies of standard virus and DVGs, resulting in ‘interference’. (1) The viral polymerase replicates DVGs more efficiently than standard virus due to their shorter length and flanking trailer promoters. (2) These DVG properties lead to faster accumulation of DVGs in the infected cell. (3) DVGs eventually outcompete standard virus to become the predominant species and interfere with standard virus replication. c, Proposed mechanism for immunostimulation and cell survival induced by copy-back DVGs. Infected cells first detect DVGs through the RNA sensors RIG-I or MDA5, which signal through the adaptor protein MAVS for the production and secretion of type I and III IFNs pro-inflammatory cytokines and pro-survival proteins.