Link to bioRxiv paper: http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2020.07.30.228858v1?rss=1 Authors: Wood, J. J., White, I. J., Mercer, J. Abstract: The replication and assembly of vaccinia virus (VACV) occurs exclusively in the cytoplasm of host cells. While the role of cellular cytoskeletal components in these processes remains poorly understood, vimentin - a type III intermediate filament - has been shown to associate with viral replication sites and to be incorporated into mature VACV virions. Here we employed chemical and genetic approaches to investigate the role of vimentin during VACV infection. The collapse of vimentin filaments, using acrylamide, inhibited VACV infection at the level of genome replication, intermediate- and late- gene expression. However, we found that CRISPR-mediated knockout of vimentin did not impact VACV replication. Combining these tools, we demonstrate that acrylamide treatment results in the formation of anti-viral granules (AVGs) which inhibit translation of many viruses. We conclude that vimentin is dispensable for poxvirus replication and assembly and that acrylamide, as a potent inducer of AVGs during VACV infection, serves to bolster cell's anti-viral response to poxvirus infection. Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info