TRAF6 drives parallel innate immune responses via TLR4 and cGAS-STING during MPyV infection

Abstract

Polyomaviruses are small DNA viruses linked to a range of human diseases, including cancer. The murine polyomavirus (MPyV) serves as a well-established model for exploring the biology of human polyomaviruses. MPyV activates two key innate immune pathways: toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), which promotes a cancer-associated fibroblast-like phenotype and enhances cell invasiveness, and the cGAS-STING (cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes) pathway, which triggers robust interferon (IFN) responses.