Viral miRNAs: tiny but mighty helpers for large and small DNA viruses
Fiche publication
Date publication
mai 2008
Lien Pubmed
Résumé
Recognition of the importance of noncoding RNAs has risen exponentially since the discovery that small molecules of 20-26 nucleotides in length were at the core of all RNA silencing phenomena. Among those small RNAs, miRNAs clearly represent the most prominent family and have been implicated in a wide range of biological processes. Recently, it has been recognized that even viruses encode their own miRNAs, and this finding has unveiled a new level in the study of host-virus interactions. Viral miRNAs have been mainly described in herpesviruses, including the oncogenic gammaherpesviruses, such as Epstein-Barr virus or Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, and they have been shown to regulate the expression of both viral and cellular genes. We are only just starting to elucidate the function of viral miRNAs, however, the results obtained so far clearly indicate that they play a prominent role in the virus life cycle.
Référence
Future Virol. 2008 May;3(3):291-9