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Updated: May 15, 2026

High-throughput Screening for Broad-spectrum Chemical Inhibitors of RNA Viruses
Published on: May 5, 2014
Small creatures use small RNAs to direct antiviral defenses
1Watson School of Biological Sciences, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA.
Abstract:
Antiviral RNA silencing has been recognized as an important defense mechanism in arthropods against RNA viruses. However, the role of this pathway in DNA virus infection remains largely unexplored. A report in this issue of the European Journal of Immunology provides new insight into the role of RNA silencing in antiviral defense against DNA viruses. Huang and Zhang [Eur. J. Immunol. 2013. 137-146] found that the dsDNA virus white spot syndrome virus, an agriculturally important pathogen of shrimp, is targeted by the shrimp RNA-silencing machinery via the production of virus-derived siRNAs. Furthermore, the authors show that the RNA-silencing pathway, and crucially, Dicer-2, is important for restricting viral infection. This study provides novel insights not only into shrimp antiviral defenses but also potentially into antiviral immunity against DNA viruses in a larger spectrum of hosts, as discussed in this Commentary. Furthermore, this study may contribute to the future development of immune-based therapeutics to combat viral pathogens, not only in aquaculture, but also in insect vectors of human diseases.
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