| Nonstructural protein 1 of type A influenza virus (NS1A) is a protein that suppresses the host antiviral immune response. Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that recognize viral epitopes help initiate the cellular innate immune response to viral infection. NS1A has been shown to interact with viral PRRs and is one mechanism by which the virus evades immune detection. Human nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 2 (NOD2) acts as a PRR for viral ssRNA, including influenza A, but whether it interacted with NS1A was unknown. The association of NS1A with NOD2 was probed using a bacterial reverse two-hybrid system (RTHS). Utilizing this system, we determined the existence of a direct NS1A:NOD2 protein-protein interaction. The discovery of this interaction furthers both our understanding of influenza's ability to evade immune detection and provides a potential therapeutic target. |
