The Kinase STK3 Interacts with the Viral Structural Protein VP1 and Inhibits Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Replication

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is the etiological agent of FMD, which affects domestic and wild cloven-hoofed animals. The structural protein VP1 plays an important role in FMDV pathogenesis. However, the interacting partners of VP1 in host cells and the effects of these interactions in FMDV replication remain incompletely elucidated. Here, we identified a porcine cell protein, serine/threonine kinase 3 (STK3), which interacts with FMDV VP1 using the yeast two-hybrid system. The VP1-STK3 interaction was further confirmed by coimmunoprecipitation experiments in human embryonic kidney 293T and porcine kidney 15 (PK-15) cells. The carboxyl-terminal region (amino acids 180–214) of VP1 was essential for its interaction with STK3. The effects of overexpression and underexpressing of STK3 in PK-15 cells were assessed, and the results indicated that STK3 significantly inhibited FMDV replication. Our data expand the role of STK3 during viral infection, provide new information regarding the host cell kinases that are involved in viral replication, and identify potential targets for future antiviral strategies.