UCHL3 regulates subgenomic flaviviral RNA condensates to promote virus propagation

Abstract

In this study we demonstrate a previously uncharacterised post-translational regulatory mechanism governing flavivirus replication through the deubiquitylating enzyme ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L3 (UCHL3). Using activity-based protein profiling, we identified UCHL3 as a key cellular factor activated during Zika virus (ZIKV) and dengue virus (DENV) infections. CRISPR-Cas9 knockout experiments demonstrated that UCHL3 deficiency impairs flavivirus replication and viral protein expression across multiple cellular models. The underlying molecular mechanism involves UCHL3-mediated stabilisation of subgenomic flaviviral RNA (sfRNA)-containing biomolecular condensates. Through biotinylated sfRNA-interactome capture assays, we show that UCHL3 physically interacts with sfRNA-containing ribonucleoprotein complexes alongside G3BP1. Importantly, UCHL3 depletion triggers inappropriate RNase L activation, leading to sfRNA relocalisation from protective P-bodies to degradative compartments, such as RNase L-induced bodies (RLBs) as reported previously, resulting in viral RNA decay. Our rescue experiments confirmed that RNase L knockdown restores viral replication in UCHL3-deficient cells. This pro-viral effect of UCHL3 operates through interferon-independent mechanisms, as demonstrated by persistent replication defects even upon exogenous interferon treatment. This work therefore identifies UCHL3 as a molecular switch controlling the balance between pro-viral and antiviral RNA condensates, representing a promising host dependency factor for broad-spectrum flavivirus intervention strategies.