A Cellular MicroRNA Mediates Antiviral Defense in Human Cells

A cellular microRNA mediates antiviral defense in human cells.

Charles-Henri Lecellier (1) , Patrice Dunoyer (2) , Khalil Arar (3) , Jacqueline Lehmann-Che (4) , Stephanie Eyquem , Christophe Himber (2) , Ali Saïb (5) , Olivier Voinnet (2)

1 IGMM - Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier
2 IBMP - Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes
3 Sigma-Proligo
4 Pathologie cellulaire : aspects moléculaires et viraux / Pathologie et Virologie Moléculaire
5 Hôpital Saint-Louis

In eukaryotes, 21- to 24-nucleotide-long RNAs engage in sequence-specific interactions that inhibit gene expression by RNA silencing. This process has regulatory roles involving microRNAs and, in plants and insects, it also forms the basis of a defense mechanism directed by small interfering RNAs that derive from replicative or integrated viral genomes. We show that a cellular microRNA effectively restricts the accumulation of the retrovirus primate foamy virus type 1 (PFV-1) in human cells. PFV-1 also encodes a protein, Tas, that suppresses microRNA-directed functions in mammalian cells and displays cross-kingdom antisilencing activities. Therefore, through fortuitous recognition of foreign nucleic acids, cellular microRNAs have direct antiviral effects in addition to their regulatory functions.

Domaines: Microbiologie et Parasitologie; Virologie

Charles-Henri Lecellier, Patrice Dunoyer, Khalil Arar, Jacqueline Lehmann-Che, Stephanie Eyquem, et al.. A Cellular MicroRNA Mediates Antiviral Defense in Human Cells. Science, 2005, 308 (5721), pp.557-560. ⟨10.1126/science.1108784⟩. ⟨hal-02106464⟩