Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a ubiquitously distributed pathogen whose rodent counterparts such as mouse and rat CMV serve as common infection models. Here, we conducted global proteome profiling of rat CMV‐infected cells and uncovered a pronounced loss of the transcription factor STAT2, which is crucial for antiviral interferon signalling. Via deletion mutagenesis, we found that the viral protein E27 is required for CMV‐induced STAT2 depletion. Cellular and in vitro analyses showed that E27 exploits host‐cell Cullin4‐RING ubiquitin ligase (CRL4) complexes to induce poly‐ubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation of STAT2. Cryo‐electron microscopy revealed how E27 mimics molecular surface properties of cellular CRL4 substrate receptors called DCAFs (DDB1‐ and Cullin4‐associated factors), thereby displacing them from the catalytic core of CRL4. Moreover, structural analyses showed that E27 recruits STAT2 through a bipartite binding interface, which partially overlaps with the IRF9 binding site. Structure‐based mutations in M27, the murine CMV homologue of E27, impair the interferon‐suppressing capacity and virus replication in mouse models, supporting the conserved importance of DCAF mimicry for CMV immune evasion.

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a highly relevant pathogen, and its rodent counterparts serve as common infection models. Global proteome profiling of rat CMV-infected cells uncovered a pronounced loss of the transcription factor STAT2, which is crucial for interferon signalling. Deletion mutagenesis documented that STAT2 is targeted by the viral protein E27. Cellular and in vitro analyses showed that E27 exploits host-derived Cullin4-RING ubiquitin ligases (CRL4) to induce poly-ubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation of STAT2. Cryo-electron microscopic structure determination revealed how E27 mimics molecular surface properties of cellular CRL4 substrate receptors (DDB1- and Cullin4-associated factors, DCAFs) to displace them from the CRL4 catalytic core. Moreover, structural analyses elucidated the mechanism of STAT2 recruitment and indicate that E27-binding additionally disturbs STAT2 activation by occupying the IRF9 binding interface. For the first time, these data provide structural insights into cytomegalovirus-encoded interferon antagonism and establish an atomic model for STAT2 counteraction by CRL4 misappropriation with important implications for viral immune evasion.

No abstract