Influenza A virus (IAV) is an important pathogen that poses a severe threat to the health of humans. Nucleoprotein (NP) of IAV plays crucial roles in the viral life cycle by interacting with various cellular factors. Histone Acetyl Transferase TIP60 is a key target of several viral proteins during infection, including HIV-1 Tat, HPV E6, HTLV-1 p30II and HCMV UL27 proteins. However, Whether the interaction between the IAV NP and TIP60, and the role of TIP60 in IAV life cycle are largely unknown. Here, we showed that IAV infection up-regulated TIP60 protein and RNA expression. Overexpression of TIP60 inhibited viral protein and RNA expression and reduced the progeny viral titer. Further study revealed that TIP60 inhibited viral replication through activation of TBK1-IRF3 signaling pathway. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the NP protein of IAV interacted with TIP60. Together, these results indicate that TIP60 play a repressor in IAV infection, and it may be a possible target for antiviral drugs.
Keywords: Histone acetyl transferase TIP60; Influenza a virus; Nucleoprotein; Polymerase activity; Type I interferon.