title: MiR-23a facilitates the replication of HSV-1 through the suppression of interferon regulatory factor 1.
abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression. It has been reported that miRNAs are involved in host-virus interaction, but evidence that cellular miRNAs promote virus replication has been limited. Here, we found that miR-23a promoted the replication of human herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in HeLa cells, as demonstrated by a plaque-formation assay and quantitative real-time PCR. Furthermore, interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF1), an innate antiviral molecule, is targeted by miR-23a to facilitate viral replication. MiR-23a binds to the 3'UTR of IRF1 and down-regulates its expression. Suppression of IRF1 expression reduced RSAD2 gene expression, augmenting HSV-1 replication. Ectopic expression of IRF1 abrogated the promotion of HSV-1 replication induced by miR-23a. Notably, IRF1 contributes to innate antiviral immunity by binding to IRF-response elements to regulate the expression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) and apoptosis, revealing a complex interaction between miR-23a and HSV-1. MiR-23a thus contributes to HSV-1 replication through the regulation of the IRF1-mediated antiviral signal pathway, which suggests that miR-23a may represent a promising target for antiviral treatments.
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Life Science Research Center and Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China; Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming 650500, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ru
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Life Science Research Center and Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China.
authors.forename: Huahui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Life Science Research Center and Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China.
authors.forename: Hongxia
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Life Science Research Center and Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China.
authors.forename: Chunmei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Life Science Research Center and Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China.
authors.forename: Yixuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Life Science Research Center and Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Life Science Research Center and Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006367:HeLa Cells; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D050856:Interferon Regulatory Factor-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000502:physiology*; D044925:Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-CH Group Donors; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000235:genetics*; D000090123:Viperin Protein
chemical_list: D050856:Interferon Regulatory Factor-1; D035683:MicroRNAs; D044925:Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-CH Group Donors; D011506:Proteins; C494257:IRF1 protein, human; C552430:MIRN23a microRNA, human; C444427:RSAD2 protein, human; D000090123:Viperin Protein