African Swine Fever Virus Interaction with Host Innate Immune Factors

Abstract

African swine fever virus (ASFV) adversely affects pig farming owing to its 100% mortality rate. The condition is marked by elevated body temperature, bleeding, and ataxia in domestic pigs, whereas warthogs and ticks remain asymptomatic despite being natural reservoirs for the virus. Breeding ASFV-resistant pigs is a promising solution for eradicating this disease. ASFV employs several mechanisms to deplete the host antiviral response. This review explores the interaction of ASFV proteins with innate host immunity and the various types of machinery encompassed by viral proteins that inhibit and induce different signaling pathways, such as cGAS-STING, NF-κB, Tumor growth factor-beta (TGF-β), ubiquitination, viral inhibition of apoptosis, and resistance to ASFV infection. Prospects for developing a domestic pig that is resistant to ASFV are also discussed.

Exploring type I interferon pathway: virulent vs. attenuated strain of African swine fever virus revealing a novel function carried by MGF505-4R

“…While an increasing number of reports have illustrated how ASFV has evolved various mechanisms to counteract IFN-α/β signaling ( 16 , 17 , 25 , 27 , 72 – 74 ), this marks the first description of ASFV targeting TRAF3. Altogether, this emphasizes the evolution of ASFV to encode numerous viral proteins with redundant functions in immune evasion.…”

Deletion of MGF505-2R Gene Activates the cGAS-STING Pathway Leading to Attenuation and Protection against Virulent African Swine Fever Virus

“…Briefly, the cGAS/STING pathway is activated upon detection of DNA in the cell cytoplasm by the cGAS sensor, which triggers the generation of cGAMP that binds and activates STING. STING traffics to the Golgi, where it recruits TBK-1, which autophosphorylates and phosphorylates STING, resulting in IRF3 phosphorylation and translocation to the nucleus, acting as a transcription factor for IFN-β expression [47]. Virulent but not attenuated ASFV strains are able to counteract the cGAS/STING pathway and type I IFN production [11], and, in fact, multiple ASFV genes have been subsequently identified in counteracting multiple the elements of this pathway, highlighting the importance of the cGAS/STING pathway in ASFV infection, though many of them are only based on in vitro results by ectopic expression of the viral protein.…”

Host immune responses against African swine fever virus: Insights and challenges for vaccine development

“…ASF-triggered monocyte-macrophage destruction has been linked to ASFV-induced apoptosis or necrosis ( Afe et al , 2023 ). The ASFV genome encompasses genes that influence programmed cell death, with both inhibitory (i.e., A179L, A224L, DP71L, and EP153R) and inductive roles (i.e., A199L and E183L) ( Netherton et al , 2019a ).…”