The drs gene is an apoptosis-inducing tumor suppressor. By using drs-knockout (KO) mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), we showed that drs is involved in the host defense against viral infection. In drs-KO MEFs infected with vesicular stomatitis virus, the viral replication and protein synthesis were markedly enhanced without the upregulation of the cellular protein synthesis. Phosphorylation of S6K, S6, 4EBP1 and TSC2 proteins was closely correlated with the enhanced viral replication in drs-KO MEFs. Drs protein could associate with stress-inducible GADD34 to form a complex with TSC1/2, which suppresses mTOR activity. These findings indicate that Drs suppresses viral replication via mTOR-dependent pathway.
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