Cellular MicroRNA Mediates Antiviral Defense in Human Cells

In eukaryotes, 21- to 24-nucleotide-long RNAs engage in sequence-specific interactions that inhibit gene expression by RNA silencing. This process has regulatory roles involving microRNAs and, in plants and insects, it also forms the basis of a defense mechanism directed by small interfering RNAs th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2005-04, Vol.308 (5721), p.557-560
Main Authors: Lecellier, Charles-Henri, Dunoyer, Patrice, Arar, Khalil, Lehmann-Che, Jacqueline, Eyquem, Stephanie, Himber, Christophe, Sai̊b, Ali, Voinnet, Olivier
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algorithms
Animals
Antiviral agents
Antiviral Agents - physiology
Arabidopsis - genetics
Biological and medical sciences
Cell Line
Cellular biology
Cricetinae
DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics
DNA-Binding Proteins - metabolism
Eukaryotes
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gene expression
Genes, Reporter
Genomes
Green Fluorescent Proteins - genetics
HeLa Cells
Human beings
Humans
Immune system
Inhibition
Life Sciences
Man
Messenger RNA
Microbiology
Microbiology and Parasitology
MicroRNA
MicroRNAs - physiology
Nectar
Oligonucleotides, Antisense
Plants, Genetically Modified
primate foamy virus type 1
Protein Biosynthesis
Replicative cycle, interference, host-virus relations, pathogenicity, miscellaneous strains
Retroviridae Proteins - genetics
Retroviridae Proteins - metabolism
Ribonucleic acid
RNA
RNA Interference
RNA, Viral
Small interfering RNA
Spumavirus - genetics
Spumavirus - physiology
Trans-Activators - genetics
Trans-Activators - metabolism
Transfection
Translation
Virology
Virus Replication
Viruses
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Description
Summary:In eukaryotes, 21- to 24-nucleotide-long RNAs engage in sequence-specific interactions that inhibit gene expression by RNA silencing. This process has regulatory roles involving microRNAs and, in plants and insects, it also forms the basis of a defense mechanism directed by small interfering RNAs that derive from replicative or integrated viral genomes. We show that a cellular microRNA effectively restricts the accumulation of the retrovirus primate foamy virus type 1 (PFV-1) in human cells. PFV-1 also encodes a protein, Tas, that suppresses microRNA-directed functions in mammalian cells and displays cross-kingdom antisilencing activities. Therefore, through fortuitous recognition of foreign nucleic acids, cellular microRNAs have direct antiviral effects in addition to their regulatory functions.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1108784