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Protein / target

Antiviral innate immune response receptor RIG-I

Encoded byRIGIO95786Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Structure with Ligand
7
Research papers

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Pattern recognition receptor

Strongest disease association

Psoriasis

Via encoding gene RIGI · Genetic evidence · score 0.84

Research activity

Emerging research

7 papers · latest 2021

Derived from structured UniProt, Open Targets and literature data on this page.

Protein profile

UniProt 2026_02

Canonical identity and biological annotation from UniProt.

Function overview

Innate immune receptor that senses cytoplasmic viral nucleic acids and activates a downstream signaling cascade leading to the production of type I interferons and pro-inflammatory cytokines.

View complete UniProt function annotation

Innate immune receptor that senses cytoplasmic viral nucleic acids and activates a downstream signaling cascade leading to the production of type I interferons and pro-inflammatory cytokines (PubMed:15208624, PubMed:15708988, PubMed:16125763, PubMed:16127453, PubMed:16153868, PubMed:17190814, PubMed:18636086, PubMed:19122199, PubMed:19211564, PubMed:24366338, PubMed:28469175, PubMed:29117565, PubMed:31006531, PubMed:34935440, PubMed:35263596, PubMed:36793726). Forms a ribonucleoprotein complex with viral RNAs on which it homooligomerizes to form filaments (PubMed:15208624, PubMed:15708988). The homooligomerization allows the recruitment of RNF135 an E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase that activates and amplifies the RIG-I-mediated antiviral signaling in an RNA length-dependent manner through ubiquitination-dependent and -independent mechanisms (PubMed:28469175, PubMed:31006531). Upon activation, associates with mitochondria antiviral signaling protein (MAVS/IPS1) that activates the IKK-related kinases TBK1 and IKBKE which in turn phosphorylate the interferon regulatory factors IRF3 and IRF7, activating transcription of antiviral immunological genes including the IFN-alpha and IFN-beta interferons (PubMed:28469175, PubMed:31006531). Ligands include 5'-triphosphorylated ssRNAs and dsRNAs but also short dsRNAs (<1 kb in length) (PubMed:15208624, PubMed:15708988, PubMed:19576794, PubMed:19609254, PubMed:21742966). In addition to the 5'-triphosphate moiety, blunt-end base pairing at the 5'-end of the RNA is very essential (PubMed:15208624, PubMed:15708988, PubMed:19576794, PubMed:19609254, PubMed:21742966). Overhangs at the non-triphosphorylated end of the dsRNA RNA have no major impact on its activity (PubMed:15208624, PubMed:15708988, PubMed:19576794, PubMed:19609254, PubMed:21742966). A 3'overhang at the 5'triphosphate end decreases and any 5'overhang at the 5' triphosphate end abolishes its activity (PubMed:15208624, PubMed:15708988, PubMed:19576794, PubMed:19609254, PubMed:21742966). Detects both positive and negative strand RNA viruses including members of the families Paramyxoviridae: Human respiratory syncytial virus and measles virus (MeV), Rhabdoviridae: vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), Orthomyxoviridae: influenza A and B virus, Flaviviridae: Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), dengue virus (DENV) and west Nile virus (WNV) (PubMed:21616437, PubMed:21884169). It also detects rotaviruses and reoviruses (PubMed:21616437, PubMed:21884169). Detects and binds to SARS-CoV-2 RNAs which is inhibited by m6A RNA modifications (Ref.74). Also involved in antiviral signaling in response to viruses containing a dsDNA genome such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) (PubMed:19631370). Detects dsRNA produced from non-self dsDNA by RNA polymerase III, such as Epstein-Barr virus-encoded RNAs (EBERs). May play important roles in granulocyte production and differentiation, bacterial phagocytosis and in the regulation of cell migration

Subcellular location

CytoplasmCell projection, ruffle membraneCytoplasm, cytoskeletonCell junction, tight junction
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (46)

Domains & features

CARD 1CARD 2Helicase ATP-bindingHelicase C-terminalRLR CTR

Gene Ontology

  • Cactin cytoskeleton
  • Cbicellular tight junction
  • Ccytoplasm
  • Ccytosol
  • Cplasma membrane
  • Cribonucleoprotein complex
  • Cruffle membrane
  • FATP binding
  • FATP hydrolysis activity
  • Fdouble-stranded DNA binding
  • Fdouble-stranded RNA binding
  • FGTP binding

925 aa · 107 kDa · 2 isoforms

Biological roles

What this protein does, drawn together from its UniProt function, Gene Ontology terms and Reactome pathways.

Cell migrationUniProt · GOImmune signallingUniProt · GOTranscriptional regulationUniProt · GO
View supporting evidence

Cell migration

  • ·Innate immune receptor that senses cytoplasmic viral nucleic acids and activates a downs…
  • ·regulation of cell migration

Immune signalling

  • ·Innate immune receptor that senses cytoplasmic viral nucleic acids and activates a downs…
  • ·antiviral innate immune response
  • ·innate immune response
  • ·positive regulation of interleukin-6 production

Transcriptional regulation

  • ·Innate immune receptor that senses cytoplasmic viral nucleic acids and activates a downs…
  • ·gene expression
  • ·positive regulation of gene expression
  • ·positive regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II

Concepts derived from UniProt GO Reactome — each badge above shows which sources supported that role.

Translational evidence

Open Targets 26

Why this target matters therapeutically, strongest evidence first. Disease associations are gene-level (via the gene that encodes this protein) and open into the full confidence synthesis; the development universe, tractability and safety annotations are target-level, from Open Targets.

Strongest disease associations · via encoding gene RIGI

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene RIGI that encodes this protein — not a direct protein–disease relationship. Ranked by Forefront's causal-directness weighting, so genetically- and clinically-evidenced diseases lead over ones that merely share the literature.

Psoriasis
0.85Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.53

Psoriasis vulgaris
0.56Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.34

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
0.55Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.33

Macular Degeneration
0.41Limited support

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.25

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular
0.34Preliminary

Animal model evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.13 · no direct causal or clinical evidence

View evidence synthesis (5)
PsoriasisWell supported
0.85
agreement 0.720.99
Genetic89%Literature11%

Open Targets aggregate 0.53 · 2 independent evidence families

Psoriasis vulgarisModerately supported
0.56
agreement 0.420.70
Genetic99%Literature1%

Open Targets aggregate 0.34 · 2 independent evidence families

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2Moderately supported
0.55
agreement 0.410.69
Genetic94%Literature6%

Open Targets aggregate 0.33 · 2 independent evidence families

Macular DegenerationLimited support
0.41
agreement 0.280.55
Genetic95%Literature5%

Open Targets aggregate 0.25 · 2 independent evidence families

Carcinoma, HepatocellularPreliminary
0.34
agreement 0.160.51
Animal model63%Literature37%

Open Targets aggregate 0.13 · 2 independent evidence families · no direct causal or clinical evidence

The evidence agreement range shows how closely the independent evidence families agree — it is not a statistical confidence interval, and nothing here is fitted to outcome data. Derived from Open Targets evidence types under Forefront weighting; the per-type scores above show the calculation.

Show all associations
Psoriasis0.53
COVID-190.38
Psoriasis vulgaris0.34
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 20.33
Macular Degeneration0.25
Genetic Diseases, Inborn0.20
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular0.13
Neoplasms0.12

Tractability

Small moleculesEmerging

Feasibility evidence (structure with ligand and med-quality pocket) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

AntibodiesEmerging

Feasibility evidence (go cc med conf and human protein atlas loc) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

Protein degradersEmerging

Feasibility evidence (uniprot ubiquitination and database ubiquitination) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

View underlying tractability evidence (6)
SM · Structure with LigandSM · Med-Quality PocketAB · GO CC med confAB · Human Protein Atlas locPR · UniProt UbiquitinationPR · Database Ubiquitination

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.

Research activity

7 papers · to 2021

Papers linked directly to this protein. This is the protein's own literature — descriptor-derived papers are kept separate below.

Most cited

Recent

Europe PMC papers linked directly to this protein.