Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Hepatitis

MicroRNA antagonists: promising antiviral agents against HCV and other viruses?

A new study provides an important proof-of-concept that viral replication can be substantially reduced for several weeks by a single injection of a tissue-targeted cellular microRNA antagonist, inhibiting a key component in a viral lifecycle. This result paves the way to the development of novel potent host-targeted antiviral approaches based on microRNA antagonism.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Pasquinelli, A. E. MicroRNAs and their targets: recognition, regulation and an emerging reciprocal relationship. Nat. Rev. Genet. 13, 271–282 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Randall, G. et al. Cellular cofactors affecting hepatitis C virus infection and replication. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 104, 12884–12889 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Sarnow, P. & Sagan, S. M. Unraveling the mysterious interactions between hepatitis C virus RNA and liver-specific microRNA-122. Annu. Rev. Virol. 3, 309–332 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Janssen, H. L. et al. Treatment of HCV infection by targeting microRNA. N. Engl. J. Med. 368, 1685–1694 (2013).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. van der Ree, M. H. et al. Safety, tolerability, and antiviral effect of RG-101 in patients with chronic hepatitis C: a phase 1b, double-blind, randomized controlled trial. Lancet 389, 709–717 (2017).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Prakash, T. P. et al. Targeted delivery of antisense oligonucleotides to hepatocytes using triantennary N-acetyl galactosamine improves potency 10-fold in mice. Nucleic Acids Res. 42, 8796–8807 (2014).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Pawlotsky, J. M. What are the pros and cons of the use of host-targeted agents against hepatitis C? Antiviral Res. 105, 22–25 (2014).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Bai, S. et al. MicroRNA-122 inhibits tumorigenic properties of hepatocellular carcinoma cells and sensitizes these cells to sorafenib. J. Biol. Chem. 284, 32015–32027 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Tsai, W. C. et al. MicroRNA-122 plays a critical role in liver homeostasis and hepatocarcinogenesis. J. Clin. Invest. 122, 2884–2897 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Pawlotsky, J. M. Hepatitis C drugs: is next generation the last generation? Gastroenterology 151, 587–590 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jean-Michel Pawlotsky.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

J.-M.P. has received research grants from Abbvie and Gilead. He has served as an adviser and speaker for Abbvie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead, Janssen and Merck.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Pawlotsky, JM. MicroRNA antagonists: promising antiviral agents against HCV and other viruses?. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 14, 264–266 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2017.28

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2017.28

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing