Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 4, 2026

Assays for the Specific Growth Rate and Cell-binding Ability of Rotavirus
10:49

Assays for the Specific Growth Rate and Cell-binding Ability of Rotavirus

Published on: January 28, 2019

9.4K

Rotavirus RNAs sponge host cell RNA binding proteins and interfere with their subcellular localization

Alfonso Oceguera1, Andrea V Peralta1, Gustavo Martínez-Delgado1

  • 1Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62210, Mexico.

Virology
|September 26, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Rotavirus infection disrupts cellular RNA processing by causing RNA-binding proteins to relocate, disaggregate processing bodies (PBs), and accumulate in the cytoplasm. Viral RNA accumulation likely drives these changes, aiding viral replication.

Area of Science:

  • Cellular biology
  • Virology
  • Molecular biology

Background:

  • Cellular mRNAs are dynamically regulated, cycling between translation and silencing in structures like processing bodies (PBs) and GW-bodies.
  • Viruses often manipulate host cell machinery, including RNA-protein complexes, to facilitate their replication.
  • Rotavirus, a common cause of gastroenteritis, employs strategies to overcome host antiviral defenses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how rotavirus infection alters the distribution of RNA-binding proteins and RNA granules in host cells.
  • To elucidate the mechanisms by which rotavirus counteracts cellular RNA silencing pathways.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of RNA-binding protein distribution in rotavirus-infected cells.
  • Microscopy to observe the structural changes in processing bodies (PBs) and GW-bodies.
  • Investigating the role of viral RNA accumulation in protein redistribution.

Main Results:

  • Rotavirus infection induced the disaggregation of PBs and relocalization of GW-body proteins.
  • The predominantly nuclear protein HuR accumulated in the cytoplasm of infected cells.
  • Viral RNA accumulation in the cytoplasm is proposed as a mechanism to sequester RNA-binding proteins (RBPs).

Conclusions:

  • Rotavirus infection significantly remodels host cell RNA granules and protein localization.
  • Viral RNA acts as a potential 'RBP sponge,' sequestering host factors to promote viral replication.
  • These viral strategies contribute to successful rotavirus infection by evading host antiviral responses.
Keywords:
GW-bodiesP-bodiesRNA binding proteinsRNA granulesRNA spongesRotavirusVirus host cell interactions

More Related Videos

PAR-CliP - A Method to Identify Transcriptome-wide the Binding Sites of RNA Binding Proteins12:24

PAR-CliP - A Method to Identify Transcriptome-wide the Binding Sites of RNA Binding Proteins

Published on: July 2, 2010

54.2K
Detection of RNA-binding Proteins by In Vitro RNA Pull-down in Adipocyte Culture10:34

Detection of RNA-binding Proteins by In Vitro RNA Pull-down in Adipocyte Culture

Published on: July 22, 2016

24.4K

Related Concept Videos

RNA Interference01:23

RNA Interference

RNA interference (RNAi) is a process in which a small non-coding RNA molecule blocks the post-transcriptional expression of a gene by binding to its messenger RNA (mRNA) and preventing the protein from being translated.
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
28.1K
lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs02:39

lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs

In humans, more than 80% of the genome gets transcribed. However, only around 2% of the genome codes for proteins. The remaining part produces non-coding RNAs which includes ribosomal RNAs, transfer RNAs, telomerase RNAs, and regulatory RNAs, among other types. A large number of regulatory non-coding RNAs have been classified into two groups depending upon their length – small non-coding RNAs, such as microRNA, which are less than 200 nucleotides in length, and long non-coding RNA...
10.0K
siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs02:30

siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs

Small interfering RNAs, or siRNAs, are short regulatory RNA molecules that can silence genes post-transcriptionally, as well as the transcriptional level in some cases. siRNAs are important for protecting cells against viral infections and silencing transposable genetic elements.
In the cytoplasm, siRNA is processed from a double-stranded RNA, which comes from either endogenous DNA transcription or exogenous sources like a virus. This double-stranded RNA is then cleaved by the...
18.7K
RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins02:36

RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins

Proteins that regulate transcription can do so either via direct contact with RNA Polymerase or through indirect interactions facilitated by adaptors, mediators, histone-modifying proteins, and nucleosome remodelers. Direct interactions to activate transcription is seen in bacteria as well as in some eukaryotic genes. In these cases, upstream activation sequences are adjacent to the promoters, and the activator proteins interact directly with the transcriptional machinery. For example, in...
11.0K
piRNA - Piwi-interacting RNAs02:57

piRNA - Piwi-interacting RNAs

PIWI-interacting RNAs, or piRNAs, are the most abundant short non-coding RNAs. More than 20,000 genes have been found in humans that code for piRNAs while only 2000 genes have been found for miRNAs. piRNAs can act at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels and have a vital role in silencing transposable elements present in germ cells. They are also involved in epigenetic silencing and activation. Previously, they were thought to function only in germ cells but new evidence suggests...
7.7K
RNA Stability01:53

RNA Stability

Intact DNA strands can be found in fossils, while scientists sometimes struggle to keep RNA intact under laboratory conditions. The structural variations between RNA and DNA underlie the differences in their stability and longevity. Because DNA is double-stranded, it is inherently more stable. The single-stranded structure of RNA is less stable but also more flexible and can form weak internal bonds. Additionally, most RNAs in the cell are relatively short, while DNA can be up to 250 million...
35.7K