Under an Elsevier user license
open archive

Highlights

Different linkage types of polyubiquitination regulate PRR signal transduction.
K63-linked ubiquitination plays an important role in promoting RIG-I signaling.
K48- and K63-linked ubiquitination fine-tunes TLR-dependent signal transduction.
Cytosolic DNA sensing is regulated through ubiquitination of STING.

Abstract

Ubiquitination has long been known to regulate fundamental cellular processes through the induction of proteasomal degradation of target proteins. More recently, ‘atypical’ non-degradative types of polyubiquitin chains have been appreciated as important regulatory moieties by modulating the activity or subcellular localization of key signaling proteins. Intriguingly, many of these non-degradative types of ubiquitination regulate the innate sensing pathways initiated by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), ultimately coordinating an effective antiviral immune response. Here we discuss recent advances in understanding the functional roles of degradative and atypical types of ubiquitination in innate immunity to viral infections, with a specific focus on the signaling pathways triggered by RIG-I-like receptors, Toll-like receptors, and the intracellular viral DNA sensor cGAS.

Keywords

Antiviral immunity
Type-I interferon
RIG-I-like receptors
Toll-like receptors
cGAS
STING
Ubiquitin
E3 ligases
TRIM proteins
TRIM25