Work

The Murine Polyomavirus MicroRNA Locus Is Required To Promote Viruria during the Acute Phase of Infection

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: MicroRNAs are expressed by diverse viruses, but for only a few is there any understanding of their in vivo function. PyVs can cause serious disease in immunocompromised hosts. Therefore, increased knowledge of how these viruses interact with the immune response is of clinical relevance. Here we show a novel activity for a viral miRNA locus in promoting virus shedding. This work indicates that in addition to any role for the PyV miRNA locus in long-term persistence, it also has biological activity during the acute phase. As this mutant phenotype is alleviated by infection of mice lacking an adaptive immune response, our work also connects the in vivo activity of the PyV miRNA locus to the immune response. Given that PyV-associated disease is associated with alterations in the immune response, our findings help to better understand how the balance between PyVs and the immune response becomes altered in pathogenic states.

Source: Journal of Virology

DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02131-17

Authors: James M. Burke, Clovis R. Bass, Rodney P. Kincaid, Emin T. Ulug, Christopher S. Sullivan

Institution: The University of Texas at Austin

Language: English

Topic: Polyomavirus and related diseases

Subfield: Oncology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas