Regulatory role of noncoding RNAs in infections caused by Rhabdoviridae family viruses

The Rhabdoviridae family comprises negative-sense single-stranded RNA viruses that cause severe infections in a wide range of hosts. Increasing evidence indicates that host noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs), long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), play central roles in regulating rhabdovirus replication, pathogenesis, and host immune responses. These ncRNAs exert both antiviral and proviral effects through modulation of innate immune signaling pathways, regulation of gene expression, and control of inflammatory responses. Antiviral ncRNAs suppress viral replication by promoting interferon production and interferon-stimulated genes and by activating inflammatory and antiviral defense pathways. On the other hand, proviral ncRNAs facilitate viral survival and replication through modulation or inhibition of key signaling pathways such as NF-κB and JAK/STAT. This review provides a pathway-centric synthesis of ncRNA-mediated regulatory mechanisms in rhabdovirus infections, with particular emphasis on Chandipura virus, vesicular stomatitis virus, and rabies virus. By integrating current findings on the cellular and molecular interactions between ncRNAs and rhabdoviruses, this review highlights the dual regulatory roles of ncRNAs in viral pathogenesis and host immunity and discusses their potential as therapeutic targets and biomarkers for the control of rhabdoviral infections.