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Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Co-immunoprecipitation of the Mouse Mx1 Protein with the Influenza A Virus Nucleoprotein
Published on: April 21, 2015
MicroRNA-mediated species-specific attenuation of influenza A virus
Jasmine T Perez1, Alissa M Pham, Maria H Lorini
1Microbiology Graduate School Training Program, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
Abstract:
Influenza A virus leads to yearly epidemics and sporadic pandemics. Present prophylactic strategies focus on egg-grown, live, attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIVs), in which attenuation is generated by conferring temperature sensitivity onto the virus. Here we describe an alternative approach to attenuating influenza A virus based on microRNA-mediated gene silencing. By incorporating nonavian microRNA response elements (MREs) into the open-reading frame of the viral nucleoprotein, we generate reassortant LAIVs for H1N1 and H5N1 that are attenuated in mice but not in eggs. MRE-based LAIVs show a greater than two-log reduction in mortality compared with control viruses lacking MREs and elicit a diverse antibody response. This approach might be combined with existing LAIVs to increase attenuation and improve vaccine safety.
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