RNA-Seq-based investigation of interferon-mediated antiviral activity of chlorophyll a from Tetraselmis sp.

Authors

  • Nalae Kang Jeju Bio Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), Jeju 63349, Republic of Korea; Department of Marine Technology & Convergence Engineering, University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2272-7193
  • Eun-A. Kim Jeju Bio Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), Jeju 63349, Republic of Korea https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5292-5941
  • Yeon-Ji Lee Jeju Bio Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), Jeju 63349, Republic of Korea https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7772-0207
  • Seong-Yeong Heo Jeju Bio Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), Jeju 63349, Republic of Korea; Department of Marine Technology & Convergence Engineering, University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1348-663X
  • Jun-Ho Heo Jeju Bio Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), Jeju 63349, Republic of Korea https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0343-7498
  • Won-Kyu Lee Jeju Bio Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), Jeju 63349, Republic of Korea https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4896-1663
  • Yong-Kyun Ryu Jeju Bio Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), Jeju 63349, Republic of Korea https://orcid.org/0009-0008-7628-3445
  • Taeho Kim Jeju Bio Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), Jeju 63349, Republic of Korea https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6644-2199
  • Soo-Jin Heo Jeju Bio Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), Jeju 63349, Republic of Korea. Tel.: +82 64 798 6101; E-mail: sjheo@kiost.ac.kr https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2092-967X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2025-8841

Keywords:

Chlorophyll a, Tetraselmis sp., antiviral activity, RNA-seq, IFITs

Abstract

Tetraselmis sp., a marine microalga amenable to mass cultivation, possesses antiviral properties, partly attributed to chlorophyll a. However, the underlying antiviral mechanisms remain poorly characterized. In this study, we investigated the antiviral activity and mode of action of chlorophyll a derived from Tetraselmis sp. by performing transcriptomic analyses on three experimental groups: untreated, uninfected cells; Zika virus (ZIKV)-infected cells; and chlorophyll a-treated, ZIKV-infected cells. Treatment with 5 µM chlorophyll a induced differential expression of genes associated with interferon-inducible antiviral responses. Gene ontology analysis revealed significant enrichment of biological processes such as “response to external stimulus” and “response to biotic stimulus.” Notably, Venn diagram analysis of 130 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) demonstrated restoration of key interferon-stimulated genes, including interferon-induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats (IFIT)1, IFIT2, IFIT3, and IFIT5, which was further validated by quantitative PCR and immunocytochemistry. These findings suggest that chlorophyll a from Tetraselmis sp. exerts antiviral effects primarily through modulation of interferon-mediated pathways.

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Published

2026-01-09

How to Cite

Kang, N., Kim, E.-A., Lee, Y.-J., Heo, S.-Y., Heo, J.-H., Lee, W.-K., … Heo, S.-J. (2026). RNA-Seq-based investigation of interferon-mediated antiviral activity of chlorophyll a from Tetraselmis sp. EXCLI Journal, 25, 150–166. https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2025-8841

Issue

Vol. 25 (2026)

Section

Original articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Nalae Kang, Eun-A. Kim, Yeon-Ji Lee, Seong-Yeong Heo, Jun-Ho Heo, Won-Kyu Lee, Yong-Kyun Ryu, Taeho Kim, Soo-Jin Heo

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