PELI1 and viral encephalitis: It has been established that Peli1 mediates chemokine and proinflammatory cytokine production, and Peli1-KO mice have decreased proinflammatory cytokine responses in the CNS in viral encephalitis and other CNS pathologies, such as autoimmune encephalomyelitis, which is a mouse model of multiple sclerosis.80,83,85 Thus, the higher susceptibility of WT mice may be a result of an exacerbated proinflammatory response in the CNS, not a lack of IFN response.