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Review
. 2009 Jan 22;457(7228):421-5.
doi: 10.1038/nature07757.

Viral and cellular messenger RNA targets of viral microRNAs

Bryan R Cullen  1
Affiliations
Review

Viral and cellular messenger RNA targets of viral microRNAs

Bryan R Cullen. Nature. .

Abstract

Given the propensity of viruses to co-opt cellular pathways and activities for their benefit, it is perhaps not surprising that several viruses have now been shown to reshape the cellular environment by reprogramming the host's RNA-interference machinery. In particular, microRNAs are produced by the various members of the herpesvirus family during both the latent stage of the viral life cycle and the lytic (or productive) stage. Emerging data suggest that viral microRNAs are particularly important for regulating the transition from latent to lytic replication and for attenuating antiviral immune responses.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
After infection by a DNA virus, the viral circular DNA genome is transcribed in the cell nucleus to give both pri-miRNAs and mRNAs. The pri-miRNA is processed by host factors in the nucleus to yield the pre-miRNA intermediate, which is then exported to the cytoplasm where the mature viral miRNA is generated. RISCs programmed by viral miRNAs can then inhibit expression of viral and/or cellular mRNA in the infected cell cytoplasm.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Cai X, et al. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus expresses an array of viral microRNAs in latently infected cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005;102:5570–5575. This paper revealed that viral miRNAs may be conserved during viral evolution.

    1. Pfeffer S, et al. Identification of microRNAs of the herpesvirus family. Nat Methods. 2005;2:269–276. This paper documented the expression of miRNAs by several herpesvirus species.

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