DNA from BK polyomavirus is sensed during infection of reservoir cells via cGAS-STING pathway

Abstract

Human polyomaviruses (HPyVs) include 14 species that cause primary asymptomatic infections after which the virus persists in the host by a mechanism that is not well understood. Reactivation of the infection in immunosuppressed patients leads to severe disease. Recently, it has been suggested that moderate innate immune responses in reservoir cells contribute to viral persistence. For BK polyomavirus (BKPyV), cells from the urinary tract are thought to act as viral reservoirs.Here, we investigated the potential role of the cGAS-STING signalling pathway in the interferon (IFN) responses launched by primary microvascular endothelial cells from bladder (HMVECs bd) in response to BKPyV infection.