Interferon-β induction heterogeneity during KSHV infection is correlated to levels and activation of the transcription factors ATF2 and RelA, and not IRF3

Careful regulation of type I interferons (IFN) like IFN-β is vital for balancing tissue damage and protection against infections. Heterogeneity in type I IFN expression among virally infected cells is a common phenomenon that may help limit IFN responses, but the source of this heterogeneity is poorly understood. We previously found that during Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus replication, type I IFN induction was limited to a small percentage of infected cells. This heterogeneity was not explained by viral gene expression. Here, we used a fluorescent reporter and fluorescence activated cell sorting to investigate the source of the heterogeneity. Surprisingly, the canonical IFN induction pathway culminating in the activation of the IRF3 transcription factor was similarly activated between cells that made high vs. low/no IFN-β. In contrast, the activation or expression of the two other IFN transcription factors, the NF-κB subunit RelA and the AP-1 subunit ATF2, correlated with IFN-β induction. Our results suggest that during viral infection, activation of IRF3 does not automatically result in IFN responses at the level of individual cells, but that other factors, such as NF-κB and AP-1, are limiting for type I IFN induction.