The cytoplasmic RNA helicases RIG-I, MDA5 and LGP2 sense viral RNA, leading to the induction of innate antiviral immunity. RIG-I is specifically activated by 5´-triphosphate RNA. Structural analyses revealed the presence of the regulatory domain (RD) at the C-terminus of RIG-I. The RD contains two structural motifs, a zinc-binding cluster and a triphosphate-binding groove. The zinc-binding cluster is coordinated by four invariant cysteine residues and its integrity is essential for RNA binding and RIG-I-mediated IFN induction. The triphosphate-binding site is characterized by a positively charged surface, which mediates binding of the negatively charged ligand. RNA binding induces a conformational change in the RIG-I molecule, leading to its dimerization and activation of downstream signaling. In addition, it was shown that RNA of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori also activates RIG-I in a 5´-triphosphate-dependent manner. Furthermore, characterization of RIG-I revealed the presence of a novel IFN-inducible short variant of RIG-I, which acts as novel negative regulator of its own pathway.
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The cytoplasmic RNA helicases RIG-I, MDA5 and LGP2 sense viral RNA, leading to the induction of innate antiviral immunity. RIG-I is specifically activated by 5´-triphosphate RNA. Structural analyses revealed the presence of the regulatory domain (RD) at the C-terminus of RIG-I. The RD contains two structural motifs, a zinc-binding cluster and a triphosphate-binding groove. The zinc-binding cluster is coordinated by four invariant cysteine residues and its integrity is essential for RNA binding a...
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