Fish SAMHD1 performs as an activator for IFN expression

As a host limiting factor, Sterile Alpha Motif and Histidine-Aspartate Domain 1 protein (SAMHD1) is associated with IRF3-mediated antiviral and apoptotic responses in mammals. However, the antiviral mechanism of SAMHD1 remains indistinct in fish. In this study, we found the expression of Ctenopharyngodon idella SAMHD1 (MF326081) was up-regulated after transfection with poly I:C (dsRNA analog), B-DNA or Z-DNA into C. idella kidney cells (CIKs), but these expression profiles had no obvious change when the cells were incubated with these nucleic acids. These data may indicate that CiSAMHD1 participates in the intracellular PRR-mediated signaling pathway rather than extracellular PRR-mediated signaling pathway. Subcellular localization assay suggested that a part of over-expressed CiSAMHD1 were translocated from nuclear to cytoplasm when C. idella ovary cells (COs) were transfected with poly I:C, B-DNA or Z-DNA. Nucleic acid pulldown assays were performed to investigate the reason for nuclear-cytoplasm translocation of CiSAMHD1. The results showed that CiSAMHD1 had a high affinity with B-DNA, Z-DNA and ISD-PS (dsRNA analog). In addition, co-IP assays revealed the interaction of CiSAMHD1 with CiSTING (KF494194). Taken together, all these results suggest that grass carp SAMHD1 performs as an activator for innate immune response through STING-mediated signaling pathway.