Nuclear Innate Immune DNA Sensor IFI16 Is Degraded during Lytic Reactivation of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus (KSHV): Role of IFI16 in Maintenance of KSHV Latency

ABSTRACT IFI16 (interferon gamma-inducible protein 16) recognizes nuclear episomal herpesvirus (Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus [KSHV], Epstein-Barr virus [EBV], and herpes simplex virus 1 [HSV-1]) genomes and induces the inflammasome and interferon beta responses. It also acts as a lytic replication restriction factor and inhibits viral DNA replication (human cytomegalovirus [HCMV] and human papillomavirus [HPV]) and transcription (HSV-1, HCMV, and HPV) through epigenetic modifications of the viral genomes. To date, the role of IFI16 in the biology of latent viruses is not known. Here, we demonstrate that knockdown of IFI16 in the latently KSHV-infected B-lymphoma BCBL-1 and BC-3 cell lines results in lytic reactivation and increases in levels of KSHV lytic transcripts, proteins, and viral genome replication. Similar results were also observed during KSHV lytic cycle induction in TREX-BCBL-1 cells with the doxycycline-inducible lytic cycle switch replication and transcription activator (RTA) gene. Overexpression of IFI16 reduced lytic gene induction by the chemical agent 12-O-tetradecoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). IFI16 protein levels were significantly reduced or absent in TPA- or doxycycline-induced cells expressing lytic KSHV proteins. IFI16 is polyubiquitinated and degraded via the proteasomal pathway. The degradation of IFI16 was absent in phosphonoacetic acid-treated cells, which blocks KSHV DNA replication and, consequently, late lytic gene expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays of BCBL-1 and BC-3 cells demonstrated that IFI16 binds to KSHV gene promoters. Uninfected epithelial SLK and osteosarcoma U2OS cells transfected with KSHV luciferase promoter constructs confirmed that IFI16 functions as a transcriptional repressor. These results reveal that KSHV utilizes the innate immune nuclear DNA sensor IFI16 to maintain its latency and repression of lytic transcripts, and a late lytic KSHV gene product(s) targets IFI16 for degradation during lytic reactivation. IMPORTANCE Like all herpesviruses, latency is an integral part of the life cycle of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), an etiological agent for many human cancers. Herpesviruses utilize viral and host factors to successfully evade the host immune system to maintain latency. Reactivation is a complex event where the latent episomal viral genome springs back to active transcription of lytic cycle genes. Our studies reveal that KSHV has evolved to utilize the innate immune sensor IFI16 to keep lytic cycle transcription in dormancy. We demonstrate that IFI16 binds to the lytic gene promoter, acts as a transcriptional repressor, and thereby helps to maintain latency. We also discovered that during the late stage of lytic replication, KSHV selectively degrades IFI16, thus relieving transcriptional repression. This is the first report to demonstrate the role of IFI16 in latency maintenance of a herpesvirus, and further understanding will lead to the development of strategies to eliminate latent infection.