EV71 induces incomplete cellular autophagy to promote self-replication

Objective To investigate the relationship between enterovirus 71 (EV71) and autophagy and the effect of autophagy on viral replication. Methods RD cells were pretreated with rapamycin, Chloroquine (CQ) and 3-methyladenine (3-MA). The effects of different stages of autophagy on viral replication were detected by Western blotting and plaque assay. Results The study showed that EV71 infection could induce incomplete autophagy in RD cells. Replication of EV71 was promoted in the CQ treatment group, while the level of replication of the rapamycin and 3-MA treatment groups was reduced. Further studies have shown that mTOR is a key molecule affecting EV71 replication, and inhibition of mTOR by rapamycin can inhibit the synthesis of viral RNA. Conclusions The effects of different stages of autophagy on viral replication are also different. Inhibition of autophagic lysosome degradation promotes viral replication, while inhibition of the early stage of autophagy or promotion of autophagy reduces the level of viral replication. mTOR can affect the replication of EV71 at RNA level. Key words: Enterovirus 71; Autophagy; Viral replication; mTOR