title: siRNA, miRNA and HIV: promises and challenges.
abstract: Small interfering RNA (siRNA) and microRNA (miRNA) are small RNAs of 18-25 nucleotides (nt) in length that play important roles in regulating gene expression. They are incorporated into an RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) and serve as guides for silencing their corresponding target mRNAs based on complementary base-pairing. The promise of gene silencing has led many researchers to consider siRNA as an anti-viral tool. However, in long-term settings, many viruses appear to escape from this therapeutical strategy. An example of this may be seen in the case of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) which is able to evade RNA silencing by either mutating the siRNA-targeted sequence or by encoding for a partial suppressor of RNAi (RNA interference). On the other hand, because miRNA targeting does not require absolute complementarity of base-pairing, mutational escape by viruses from miRNA-specified silencing may be more difficult to achieve. In this review, we discuss stratagems used by various viruses to avoid the cells' antiviral si/mi-RNA defenses and notions of how viruses might control and regulate host cell genes by encoding viral miRNAs (vmiRNAs).
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0460, USA.
authors.forename: Man Lung
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Yeung
authors.forename: Yamina
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bennasser
authors.forename: Shu Yun
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: LE
authors.forename: Kuan Teh
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Jeang
mesh_terms: D006678:HIV / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D012367:RNA, Viral