Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40261845›Full record

ArticlePLoS pathogens2025

Bacterial effector screening reveals RNF214 as a virus restriction factor in mammals.

Aaron Embry, David F Schad, Emily A Rex, Neal M Alto, Don B Gammon

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PLoS pathogens, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Bacterial and human exonucleases mediate interkingdom antiviral immunity.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Aaron EmbryDepartment of Microbiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America.
David F SchadDepartment of Microbiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America.
Emily A RexDepartment of Microbiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America.
Neal M AltoDepartment of Microbiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America.
Don B GammonDepartment of Microbiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0003-1144-4152

Funding

MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY TRAINING GRANTT32AI007520 · NIAID · UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER · PI Julie K Pfeiffer · 1997 to 2026
$7.0M
Type III effector regulation of host signal transduction systemsR01AI083359 · NIAID · UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER · PI ALTO, NEAL MATHEW · 2009 to 2024
$6.3M
Exploiting Pathogen-Encoded Immune Evasion Proteins to Uncover Evolutionarily Conserved Antiviral Host MachineryR35GM137978 · NIGMS · UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER · PI Don Brad Gammon · 2020 to 2026
$2.5M
Using Bacterial Effectors to Uncover Innate Immune Mechanisms Restricting Viral Replication in Bat CellsR21AI169558 · NIAID · UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER · PI GAMMON, DON BRAD · 2023 to 2024
$451k
NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI083359NIAID NIH HHS R21 AI169558NIAID NIH HHS T32 AI007520NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM137978
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Arboviruses are arthropod-borne viruses that pose significant threats to human and animal health. Previously, we demonstrated that bacterial effector proteins can serve as molecular tools to identify host immunity factors in insect cells that restrict arbovirus replication. In this study, we apply our bacterial effector screening system to identify immunity factors in two mammalian hosts-bats and humans. Our screens identified three bacterial effectors (IpaH4, SopB and SidM) that enhanced the replication of unrelated arboviruses in bat and human cells. We also discovered several effectors that enhanced arbovirus replication in an arbovirus- or host-specific manner. Focusing on the Shigella flexneri-encoded E3 ubiquitin ligase IpaH4, we identified the uncharacterized mammalian really interesting new gene (RING)-domain-containing protein RNF214 as a direct target that is ubiquitinated and degraded by IpaH4. RNF214 belongs to a large family of RING finger (RNF) proteins that primarily function as E3 ubiquitin ligases and that have diverse roles in regulating and mediating innate immune responses to disparate pathogens. Phylogenetic analyses reveal that RNF214 is highly conserved across vertebrate species, suggesting a conserved role in host defense. Functional studies demonstrate that RNF214 overexpression suppresses arbovirus infection in a manner dependent on its putative E3 ubiquitin ligase activity, whereas RNF214 depletion enhances viral replication in both human and bat cells. Furthermore, knockout of RNF214 did not alter the upregulation of interferon (IFN)-stimulated gene expression during infection or upon treatment of cells with IFN. Screening of 11 RNA and DNA viruses, revealed that RNF214 specifically restricts single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) viruses. These findings establish RNF214 as a critical component of the innate immune response against ssRNA viruses that may function independently of the IFN response. More broadly, our work highlights the utility of bacterial effector proteins as powerful tools for uncovering novel antiviral machinery in mammals.

Indexed as

Bacterial ProteinsUbiquitin-Protein LigasesAnimalsHost-Pathogen InteractionsHumansImmunity, InnateShigella flexneriVirus ReplicationBacterial ProteinsUbiquitin-Protein Ligases

Identifiers

PMID40261845
PMCPMC12013929

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.