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Published on: March 2, 2014
The role of shrimp miR-965 in virus infection
Le Shu1, Changrun Li2, Xiaobo Zhang1
1College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
RNAi, mediated by microRNAs (miRNAs), has attracted increasing attention for its important role in cross-talk between host and virus. However, the role of host miRNA in the virus infection in vivo has not been intensively investigated. In this study, the effects of a shrimp miRNA (miR-965) on the white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection were characterized. The results indicated that the expression of miR-965 was significantly upregulated in shrimp in response to the WSSV challenge, suggesting its involvement in the virus infection. The miR-965 silencing led to significant increases of WSSV copies and virus-infected shrimp mortality, while the miR-965 overexpression resulted in the decreased WSSV copies and virus-infected shrimp mortality, indicating that miR-965 played a negative role in the WSSV infection. The further data revealed that miR-965 inhibited the virus infection by targeting the viral wsv240 gene, an important gene required for the WSSV infection in shrimp. The results demonstrated that miR-965 could promote the shrimp phagocytosis against virus infection by targeting the shrimp ATG5 (autophagy related 5) gene. Therefore, our findings presented novel evidence to better understand the anfractuous host-virus interactions in vivo.
Insights
Shrimp microRNA (miRNA) miR-965 combats White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) by targeting viral genes and enhancing shrimp immunity. Upregulated miR-965 expression reduces viral load and mortality, revealing its crucial role in host-virus interactions.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Virology
- Immunology
Background:
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) mediate RNA interference (RNAi) and are key in host-virus interactions.
- The role of host miRNAs during in vivo viral infections remains under-investigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the function of shrimp microRNA (miR-965) in White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) infection in vivo.
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying miR-965's antiviral activity.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) to measure miR-965 expression.
- In vivo silencing and overexpression of miR-965 in shrimp.
- WSSV DNA quantification and mortality assessment.
- Bioinformatic analysis to identify miR-965 targets.
Main Results:
- miR-965 expression was significantly upregulated in shrimp challenged with WSSV.
- Silencing miR-965 increased WSSV copies and shrimp mortality; overexpression decreased them.
- miR-965 directly targets the WSSV wsv240 gene, inhibiting viral infection.
- miR-965 promotes shrimp phagocytosis by targeting the host ATG5 gene.
Conclusions:
- Shrimp miR-965 plays a critical negative regulatory role in WSSV infection.
- miR-965 exerts antiviral effects by targeting both viral and host genes.
- These findings enhance understanding of host-virus interactions in shrimp immunity.
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