Measles virus V protein blocks Jak1-mediated phosphorylation of STAT1 to escape IFN-α/β signaling

Viruses have evolved various strategies to escape the antiviral activity of type I interferons (IFN-α/β). For measles virus, this function is carried by the polycistronic gene P that encodes, by an unusual editing strategy, for the phosphoprotein P and the virulence factor V (MV-V). MV-V prevents STAT1 nuclear translocation by either sequestration or phosphorylation inhibition, thereby blocking IFN-α/β pathway. We show that both the N- and C-terminal domains of MV-V (PNT and VCT) contribute to the inhibition of IFN-α/β signaling. Using the two-hybrid system and co-affinity purification experiments, we identified STAT1 and Jak1 as interactors of MV-V and demonstrate that MV-V can block the direct phosphorylation of STAT1 by Jak1. A deleterious mutation within the PNT domain of MV-V (Y110H) impaired its ability to interact and block STAT1 phosphorylation. Thus, MV-V interacts with at least two components of IFN-α/β receptor complex to block downstream signaling.