Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2026

MicroRNA-based Regulation of Picornavirus Tropism
Published on: February 6, 2017
Natural polymorphisms in the bovine leukemia virus microRNA cluster modulate miRNA expression and host regulatory
Aneta Pluta1,2, Kerstin Skovgaard3, Konrad Józef Dębski4
1Department of Virology and Viral Animal Diseases, National Veterinary Research Institute, 24-100, Puławy, Poland. aneta.pluta@piwet.pulawy.pl.
Abstract:
Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) encodes a cluster of viral microRNAs (miRNAs) that remain abundantly expressed during latency, when viral protein production is restricted. Naturally occurring single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within this locus are common, yet their functional consequences for miRNA output and host gene regulation remain poorly defined. Peripheral blood leukocytes from 53 naturally BLV-infected cattle were analyzed, and the 554-nt BLV miRNA locus was amplified and sequenced. Field-derived variants containing mutations within RNA polymerase III promoter motifs, seed regions, and termination signals were selected for functional evaluation. Reference and variant loci were co-expressed with a BLVΔ-miRNA infectious clone in HEK293T cells under controlled conditions. Mature miRNA levels were quantified by stem-loop reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and global host transcriptional responses were assessed using oligonucleotide microarrays. Predicted miRNA targets were identified using bioinformatic analyses. Sequence analysis identified 84 polymorphic sites, with a substantial proportion mapping to Pol III regulatory elements and seed regions. Variant loci displayed altered accumulation of selected mature miRNAs and shifts in predicted seed-dependent target repertoires. Transcriptome profiling revealed variant-associated modulation of innate immune-signaling components, interferon-responsive genes, antigen-presentation pathways, tumor-suppressor networks, and extracellular matrix-related processes. Enrichment analysis demonstrated a statistically significant overlap between predicted miRNA targets and downregulated transcripts. Natural polymorphisms within the BLV miRNA cluster modulate miRNA expression and are associated with distinct host regulatory signatures in a controlled experimental system. These findings suggest that sequence variation in the viral miRNA locus may contribute to differential host-virus interactions and influence mechanisms supporting viral persistence.
Related Concept Videos
MicroRNAs
MicroRNAs
MicroRNAs
Leaky Scanning
lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs
Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps
Transcription results in the generation of precursor (pre-mRNA) that consists of both exons and introns, which needs further processing before being translated to a...

