Tripartite-motif proteins and innate immune regulation

The tripartite motif containing (TRIM) proteins are a family of proteins that have been implicated in many biological processes including cell differentiation, apoptosis, transcriptional regulation and signaling pathways. Many TRIM proteins are upregulated by the immunologically important Type I and Type II interferons and several, including TRIM5α and TRIM19/PML, restrict viral replication. There is growing evidence that TRIMs also play an important role in the broader immune response through regulating signaling pathways such as the RIG-I pathway. In this review we discuss recent research elucidating TRIM regulation of a number of pathways important in immunity and review the latest findings relating to viral restriction by TRIMs.