Protease-Activated Receptor 1 Enhances Poly I:C Induction of the Antiviral Response in Macrophages and Mice

The coagulation cascade is activated during viral infections as part of the host defense system. Coagulation proteases activate cells by cleavage of protease-activated receptors (PARs). Recently, we reported that the activation of PAR-1 enhanced interferon (IFN)β and CXCL10 expression in cardiac fibroblasts and in the hearts of mice infected with Coxsackievirus B3. In this study, we used the double-stranded RNA mimetic polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) to induce an antiviral response in macrophages and mice. Activation of PAR-1 enhanced poly I:C induction of IFNβ and CXCL10 expression in the murine macrophage cell line RAW264.7, bone-marrow derived mouse macrophages (BMM) and mouse splenocytes. Next, poly I:C was used to induce a type I IFN innate immune response in the spleen and plasma of wild-type (WT) and PAR-1-/- mice. We found that poly I:C treated PAR-1-/- mice and WT mice given the thrombin inhibitor dabigatran etexilate exhibited significantly less IFNβ and CXCL10 expression in the spleen and plasma than WT mice. These studies suggest that thrombin activation of PAR-1 contributes to the antiviral response in mice.