TRIM56-mediated production of type I interferon inhibits intracellular replication of .

UNLABELLED

(), the causative agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), is the most pathogenic member among spp. Previous studies have shown that tripartite motif-containing 56 (TRIM56) E3 ligase-induced ubiquitination of STING is important for cytosolic DNA sensing and type I interferon production to induce anti-DNA viral immunity, but whether it affects intracellular replication of remains uncharacterized. Here, we investigated the effect of TRIM56 on HeLa and THP-1 cells infected with . We found that the expression of TRIM56 was upregulated in the -infected cells, and the overexpression of TRIM56 inhibited the intracellular replication of , while replication was enhanced in the TRIM56-silenced host cells with the reduced phosphorylation of IRF3 and STING and the increased production of interferon-β. In addition, the mutation of the TRIM56 E3 ligase catalytic site impairs the inhibitory function against in HeLa cells. Altogether, our study discovers that TRIM56 is a host restriction factor of by regulating the cGAS-STING-mediated signaling pathway. This study gives new evidence for the role of TRIM56 in the innate immune response against intracellular bacterial infection and provides new therapeutic targets for RMSF.

IMPORTANCE

Given that () is the most pathogenic member within the genus and serves as the causative agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, there is a growing need to explore host targets. In this study, we examined the impact of host TRIM56 on infection in HeLa and THP-1 cells. We observed a significant upregulation of TRIM56 expression in -infected cells. Remarkably, the overexpression of TRIM56 inhibited the intracellular replication of , while silencing TRIM56 enhanced bacterial replication accompanied by reduced phosphorylation of IRF3 and STING, along with increased interferon-β production. Notably, the mutation of the TRIM56's E3 ligase catalytic site did not impede replication in HeLa cells. Collectively, our findings provide novel insights into the role of TRIM56 as a host restriction factor against through the modulation of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway.