Merkel cell polyomavirus encodes a microRNA with the ability to autoregulate viral gene expression.
microRNAs (miRNAs) are post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression that play a role in viral infection. We have developed a method to identify viral-encoded miRNAs from viruses in which abundant amounts of infected material is limiting. We show that Merkel Cell Polyomavirus (MCV), a recently identified human virus associated with cancer, encodes a miRNA. This miRNA is expressed from the late strand, lies antisense to the early transcripts and negatively regulates expression of chimeric reporters containing a portion of the early transcripts. Interestingly, different viral isolates have sequence polymorphisms in the pre-miRNA region that result in amino acids substitutions but fully preserve the processing and activity of the miRNAs.
Seo
Gil Ju
GJ
The University of Texas at Austin, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, 78712-0162, USA.
Chen
Chun Jung
CJ
Sullivan
Christopher S
CS
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D006801:Humans; D018862:Merkel Cells / Q000821:virology*; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011120:Polyomavirus / Q000502:physiology*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism*
D035683:MicroRNAs; D012367:RNA, Viral