Replication of cowpox virus in macrophages is dependent on the host range factor p28/N1R

Zoonotic orthopoxvirus infections continue to represent a threat to human health. The disease caused by distinct orthopoxviruses differs in terms of symptoms and severity, which may be explained by the unique repertoire of virus factors that modulate the host’s immune response and cellular machinery. We report here on the construction of recombinant cowpox viruses (CPXV) which either lack the host range factor p28 completely or express truncated variants of p28. We show that p28 is essential for CPXV replication in macrophages of human or mouse origin and that the C-terminal RING finger domain of p28 is necessary to allow CPXV replication in macrophages. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12985-021-01640-x.