Function: Innate immune receptor that senses cytoplasmic viral nucleic acids and activates a downstream signaling cascade leading to the production of type I interferons and proinflammatory cytokines. Forms a ribonucleoprotein complex with viral RNAs on which it homooligomerizes to form filaments. The homooligomerization allows the recruitment of RNF135 an E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase that activates and amplifies the RIG-I-mediated antiviral signaling in an RNA length-dependent manner through ubiquitination-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Upon activation, associates with mitochondria antiviral signaling protein (MAVS/IPS1) that activates the IKK-related kinases TBK1 and IKBKE which in turn phosphorylate the interferon regulatory factors IRF3 and IRF7, activating transcription of antiviral immunological genes including the IFN-alpha and IFN-beta interferons. Ligands include: 5'-triphosphorylated ssRNA and dsRNA and short dsRNA (<1 kb in length). In addition to the 5'-triphosphate moiety, blunt-end base pairing at the 5'-end of the RNA is very essential. Overhangs at the non-triphosphorylated end of the dsRNA RNA have no major impact on its activity. A 3'overhang at the 5'triphosphate end decreases and any 5'overhang at the 5' triphosphate end abolishes its activity. Detects both positive and negative strand RNA viruses including members of the families Paramyxoviridae: newcastle disease virus (NDV) and Sendai virus (SeV), Rhabdoviridae: vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), Orthomyxoviridae: influenza A and B virus, Flaviviridae: Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), dengue virus (DENV) and west Nile virus (WNV). It also detects rotavirus and orthoreovirus. Also involved in antiviral signaling in response to viruses containing a dsDNA genome such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Detects dsRNA produced from non-self dsDNA by RNA polymerase III, such as Epstein-Barr virus-encoded RNAs (EBERs). May play important roles in granulocyte production and differentiation, bacterial phagocytosis and in the regulation of cell migration.