Ebolavirus VP35 is a multifunctional virulence factor

Ebola virus (EBOV) is a member of the filoviridae family that causes severe hemorrhagic fever during sporadic outbreaks, and no approved treatments are currently available. The multifunctional EBOV VP35 protein facilitates immune evasion by antagonizing antiviral signaling pathways and is important for viral RNA synthesis. In order to elucidate regulatory mechanisms and to develop countermeasures, we recently solved the structures of the Zaire and Reston EBOV VP35 interferon inhibitory domain (IID) in the free form and of the Zaire EBOV VP35 IID bound to dsRNA. Together with biochemical, cell biological and virological studies, our structural work revealed that distinct regions within EBOV VP35 IID contribute to virulence through host immune evasion and viral RNA synthesis. Here we summarize our recent structural and functional studies and discuss the potential of multifunctional Ebola VP35 as a therapeutic target.