The DEAH-Box RNA Helicase DHX15 Activates NF-kB and MAPK Signaling Downstream of MAVS During Antiviral Responses

During infection with an RNA virus, the DExD/H-box RNA helicases RIG-I (retinoic acid–inducible gene I) and MDA5 (melanoma differentiation–associated gene 5) activate the interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3), nuclear factor kB (NF-kB), c-Jun amino-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways through an unknown mechanism involving the adaptor protein MAVS (mitochondrial antiviral signaling). We used a Drosophila misexpression screen to identify DEAH-box polypeptide 15 (DHX15) as an activator of the p38 MAPK pathway. Human DHX15 contributed to the activation of the NF-kB, JNK, and p38 MAPK pathways, but not the IRF3 pathway, in response to the synthetic doublestranded RNA analog poly(I:C) (polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid), and DHX15 was required for optimal cytokine production in response to poly(I:C) and infection with RNA virus. DHX15 physically interacted with MAVS and mediated the MAVS-dependent activation of the NF-kB and MAPK pathways. Furthermore, DHX15 was required for poly(I:C)and RNA virus–dependent, MAVS-mediated apoptosis. Thus, our findings indicate that, in RIG-I–like receptor signaling, DHX15 specifically stimulates the NF-kB and MAPK pathways downstream of MAVS and contributes to MAVS-mediated cytokine production and apoptosis.