The Immune Escape Strategy of Rabies Virus and Its Pathogenicity Mechanisms

In contrast to most other rhabdoviruses, which spread by insect vectors, the rabies virus (RABV) is a very unusual member of the Rhabdoviridae family, since it has evolved to be fully adapted to warm-blooded hosts and spread directly between them. There are differences in the immune responses to lab...

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Main Author: Abraha Bahlbi Kiflu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Viruses
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/16/11/1774
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author Abraha Bahlbi Kiflu
author_facet Abraha Bahlbi Kiflu
author_sort Abraha Bahlbi Kiflu
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description In contrast to most other rhabdoviruses, which spread by insect vectors, the rabies virus (RABV) is a very unusual member of the Rhabdoviridae family, since it has evolved to be fully adapted to warm-blooded hosts and spread directly between them. There are differences in the immune responses to laboratory-attenuated RABV and wild-type rabies virus infections. Various investigations showed that whilst laboratory-attenuated RABV elicits an innate immune response, wild-type RABV evades detection. Pathogenic RABV infection bypasses immune response by antagonizing interferon induction, which prevents downstream signal activation and impairs antiviral proteins and inflammatory cytokines production that could eliminate the virus. On the contrary, non-pathogenic RABV infection leads to immune activation and suppresses the disease. Apart from that, through recruiting leukocytes into the central nervous system (CNS) and enhancing the blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability, which are vital factors for viral clearance and protection, cytokines/chemokines released during RABV infection play a critical role in suppressing the disease. Furthermore, early apoptosis of neural cells limit replication and spread of avirulent RABV infection, but street RABV strains infection cause delayed apoptosis that help them spread further to healthy cells and circumvent early immune exposure. Similarly, a cellular regulation mechanism called autophagy eliminates unused or damaged cytoplasmic materials and destroy microbes by delivering them to the lysosomes as part of a nonspecific immune defense mechanism. Infection with laboratory fixed RABV strains lead to complete autophagy and the viruses are eliminated. But incomplete autophagy during pathogenic RABV infection failed to destroy the viruses and might aid the virus in dodging detection by antigen-presenting cells, which could otherwise elicit adaptive immune activation. Pathogenic RABV P and M proteins, as well as high concentration of nitric oxide, which is produced during rabies virus infection, inhibits activities of mitochondrial proteins, which triggers the generation of reactive oxygen species, resulting in oxidative stress, contributing to mitochondrial malfunction and, finally, neuron process degeneration.
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spelling doaj-art-29e94183df9740d5b328c065ae9bde322025-08-20T02:04:43ZengMDPI AGViruses1999-49152024-11-011611177410.3390/v16111774The Immune Escape Strategy of Rabies Virus and Its Pathogenicity MechanismsAbraha Bahlbi Kiflu0State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, ChinaIn contrast to most other rhabdoviruses, which spread by insect vectors, the rabies virus (RABV) is a very unusual member of the Rhabdoviridae family, since it has evolved to be fully adapted to warm-blooded hosts and spread directly between them. There are differences in the immune responses to laboratory-attenuated RABV and wild-type rabies virus infections. Various investigations showed that whilst laboratory-attenuated RABV elicits an innate immune response, wild-type RABV evades detection. Pathogenic RABV infection bypasses immune response by antagonizing interferon induction, which prevents downstream signal activation and impairs antiviral proteins and inflammatory cytokines production that could eliminate the virus. On the contrary, non-pathogenic RABV infection leads to immune activation and suppresses the disease. Apart from that, through recruiting leukocytes into the central nervous system (CNS) and enhancing the blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability, which are vital factors for viral clearance and protection, cytokines/chemokines released during RABV infection play a critical role in suppressing the disease. Furthermore, early apoptosis of neural cells limit replication and spread of avirulent RABV infection, but street RABV strains infection cause delayed apoptosis that help them spread further to healthy cells and circumvent early immune exposure. Similarly, a cellular regulation mechanism called autophagy eliminates unused or damaged cytoplasmic materials and destroy microbes by delivering them to the lysosomes as part of a nonspecific immune defense mechanism. Infection with laboratory fixed RABV strains lead to complete autophagy and the viruses are eliminated. But incomplete autophagy during pathogenic RABV infection failed to destroy the viruses and might aid the virus in dodging detection by antigen-presenting cells, which could otherwise elicit adaptive immune activation. Pathogenic RABV P and M proteins, as well as high concentration of nitric oxide, which is produced during rabies virus infection, inhibits activities of mitochondrial proteins, which triggers the generation of reactive oxygen species, resulting in oxidative stress, contributing to mitochondrial malfunction and, finally, neuron process degeneration.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/16/11/1774RABVimmune evasionIFN-α/βcytkines/chemokinesBBB permeabilityapoptosis
spellingShingle Abraha Bahlbi Kiflu
The Immune Escape Strategy of Rabies Virus and Its Pathogenicity Mechanisms
Viruses
RABV
immune evasion
IFN-α/β
cytkines/chemokines
BBB permeability
apoptosis
title The Immune Escape Strategy of Rabies Virus and Its Pathogenicity Mechanisms
title_full The Immune Escape Strategy of Rabies Virus and Its Pathogenicity Mechanisms
title_fullStr The Immune Escape Strategy of Rabies Virus and Its Pathogenicity Mechanisms
title_full_unstemmed The Immune Escape Strategy of Rabies Virus and Its Pathogenicity Mechanisms
title_short The Immune Escape Strategy of Rabies Virus and Its Pathogenicity Mechanisms
title_sort immune escape strategy of rabies virus and its pathogenicity mechanisms
topic RABV
immune evasion
IFN-α/β
cytkines/chemokines
BBB permeability
apoptosis
url https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/16/11/1774
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