IRF3 and infection: To determine whether TBEV trigger RANTES expression by directly inducing activation of known IRF-3 pathway component, we performed Western blot analysis to detect the levels of endogenous RIG-I, MDA5, TLR3, p-TBK-1, p-inhibitor-kB kinase epsilon (IKKε), and p-IRF-3 following infection of T98G cells with TBEV.