Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Viral Interferon Regulatory Factor 1 Interacts with a Member of the Interferon-Stimulated Gene 15 Pathway

Abstract

The KSHV vIRF1 protein can inhibit interferon activation in response to viral infection. We identified a cellular protein named HERC5, which is the major ligase for ISG15, as a vIRF1 binding partner. vIRF1 association with HERC5 altered ISG15 modification of cellular proteins, and knockdown of ISG15 augmented reactivation of KSHV from latency.