RTP4 inhibits IFN-I response and enhances experimental cerebral malaria and neuropathology

作者：Xiao He, Alison W. Ashbrook, Yang Du, Jian Wu, Hans-Heinrich Hoffmann, Cui Zhang, Lu Xia, Yu‐Chih Peng, Keyla C. Tumas, Brajesh K. Singh, Chen‐Feng Qi, Timothy G. Myers, Carole A. Long, Chengyu Liu, Rong‐Fu Wang, Charles M. Rice, Xin‐zhuan Su · 发表于：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 年份：2020 · DOI：10.1073/pnas.2006492117 · 被引用次数：57 · 研究领域：interferon and immune responses、Mosquito-borne diseases and control、Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms

Significance Malaria is a deadly disease affecting hundreds of millions of people. Cerebral malaria is a type of severe disease with a high mortality rate. However, the causes leading to cerebral malaria, likely including parasite and host factors, are still elusive. Here we discover and investigate a host gene (receptor transporter protein 4 [RTP4]) that can regulate host type I interferon responses and symptoms of experimental cerebral malaria. RTP4 also significantly affects West Nile virus load in the brains of infected mice, but not in the heart and the spleen. This study reveals important roles of RTP4 in antimalarial and antiviral immunity, particularly in brain infection and pathology. RTP4 is a potential target for therapy in some neurological diseases.