Rabies, caused by rabies virus (RABV), is an ancient zoonosis and still a major public health problem for humans, especially in developing countries. RABV can be recognized by specific innate recognition receptors, resulting in the production of hundreds of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), which can inhibit viral replication at different stages. Interferon-inducible GTPase 1 (IIGP1) is a mouse-specific ISG and belongs to the immunity-related GTPases (IRGs) family. IIGP is reported to constrain intracellular parasite infection by disrupting the parasitophorous vacuole membrane. However, the role of IIGP1 in restricting viral replication has not been reported. In this present study, we found that IIGP1 was upregulated in cells and mouse brains upon RABV infection. Overexpression of IIGP1 limited RABV replication in cell lines and reduced viral pathogenicity in a mouse model. Consistently, deficiency of IIGP1 enhanced RABV replication in different parts of mouse brains. Furthermore, we found that IIGP1 could interact with RABV phosphoprotein (P protein). Mutation and immunoprecipitation analyses revealed that the Y128 site of P protein is critical for its interaction with IIGP1. Further study demonstrated that this interaction impeded the dimerization of P protein and thus suppressed RABV replication. Collectively, our findings for the first reveal a novel role of IIGP1 in restricting a typical neurotropic virus, RABV, which will provide fresh insight into the function of this mouse-specific ISG.

IMPORTANCE Interferon and its downstream products, ISGs, are essential in defending against pathogen invasion. One of the ISGs, IIGP1, has been found to constrain intracellular parasite infection by disrupting their vacuole membranes. However, the role of IIGP1 in limiting viral infection is unclear. In this study, we show that infection with a typical neurotropic virus, RABV, can induce upregulation of IIGP1, which, in turn, suppresses RABV by interacting with its phosphoprotein (P protein) and thus blocking the dimerization of P protein. Our study provides the first evidence that IIGP1 functions in limiting viral infection and provides a basis for comprehensive understanding of this important ISG.