# Immune Evasion by the NSs Protein of Rift Valley Fever Virus: A Viral Houdini Act

## TL;DR

This paper reviews how the NSs protein of Rift Valley fever virus helps it evade the immune system, acting like a viral escape artist.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive review of NSs's molecular mechanisms in immune evasion and viral replication.

## Key findings

- NSs interacts with multiple host factors to modulate immune responses.
- Mutations in NSs can lead to viral attenuation.
- Understanding NSs's mechanisms is key to developing vaccines and therapeutics.

## Abstract

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a negative-sense arbovirus that causes several severe diseases, including hemorrhagic fever in ruminants and humans. There are currently no FDA-approved vaccines or therapeutics for RVFV. The viral nonstructural protein NSs acts like a molecular Harry Houdini, the world-famous escape artist, to help the virus evade the host’s innate immune response and serves as the main virulence factor of RVFV. In this review, we discuss the molecular mechanisms by which NSs interacts with multiple factors to modulate host processes, evade the host immune response, and facilitate viral replication. The impact of NSs mutations that cause viral attenuation is also discussed. Understanding the molecular mechanisms by which NSs evades the host innate immune response is crucial for developing novel therapeutics and vaccines targeting RVFV.