RIGI and viral infectious disease: During viral infection, the activation of retinoic-acid-inducible gene I protein (RIG1), a cellular DExD/H box RNA helicase that induces the production of antiviral factors, following viral RNA detection, leads to increased type I IFN production (Hornung et al. 2006; Imaizumi et al. 2004; Rothenfusser et al. 2005; Sakaki et al. 2005).