Established and Emerging Roles of DEAD/H-Box Helicases in Regulating Infection and Immunity

Michael Parthun; Matthew E Long; Emily A Hemann

doi:10.1111/imr.13426

Established and Emerging Roles of DEAD/H-Box Helicases in Regulating Infection and Immunity

Immunol Rev. 2024 Dec 2. doi: 10.1111/imr.13426. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Michael Parthun^{1

2}, Matthew E Long^{1

2

3

4}, Emily A Hemann^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
² Infectious Diseases Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
³ Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
⁴ Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, USA.

PMID: 39620586
DOI: 10.1111/imr.13426

Abstract

The sensing of nucleic acids by DEAD/H-box helicases, specifically retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) and melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5), plays a critical role in inducing antiviral immunity following infection. However, this DEAD/H-box helicase family includes many additional proteins whose immune functions have not been investigated. While numerous DEAD/H-box helicases contribute to antiviral immunity, they employ diverse mechanisms beyond the direct sensing of nucleic acids. Some members have also been identified to play proviral (promoting virus replication/propagation) roles during infections, regulate other non-viral infections, and contribute to the regulation of autoimmunity and cancer. This review synthesizes the known and emerging functions of the broader DEAD/H-box helicase family in immune regulation and highlights ongoing efforts to target these proteins therapeutically.

Keywords: DEAD‐box helicases; RLRs; immunity; infection; interferon.

Publication types

Review