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Viral and cellular messenger RNA targets of viral microRNAs

Nature volume 457, pages 421–425 (2009)Cite this article

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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Figure 1: How DNA virus miRNAs target host and viral mRNAs.

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Acknowledgements

Work in my laboratory was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grant numbers GM071408 and AI067968). I thank M. Luftig, E. Gottwein and J. L. Umbach for critical comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, Center for Virology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, 27710, North Carolina, USA

    Bryan R. Cullen

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  1. Bryan R. Cullen
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Cullen, B. Viral and cellular messenger RNA targets of viral microRNAs. Nature 457, 421–425 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature07757

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