Identification of a novel antiviral micro-RNA targeting the NS1 protein of the H1N1 pandemic human influenza virus and a corresponding viral escape mutation.

In this study we identified the human micro RNA hsa-miR-1307-3p as a novel potent suppressor of NS1 expression and influenza virus replication. Transcriptomic analysis indicates that hsa-miR-1307-3p also negatively regulates apoptosis and promotes cell proliferation. In addition, we identified a novel mutation in the NS1 gene of A(H1N1)pdm09 strains circulating in Italy in the 2010-11 season, which enabled the virus to escape the hsa-miR-1307-3p inhibition, conferring replicative advantage to the virus in human cells. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first validation of suppression of IAV H1N1 NS1 by a human micro RNA and the first example of an escape mutation from micro RNA-mediated antiviral response for the A(H1N1)pdm09 virus. PMID: 31470040 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Antiviral Research - Category: Virology Authors: Tags: Antiviral Res Source Type: research