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Review
. 2014 Aug:7:33-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.coviro.2014.03.014. Epub 2014 Apr 22.

Viral microRNA genomics and target validation

Joseph M Ziegelbauer  1
Affiliations
Review

Viral microRNA genomics and target validation

Joseph M Ziegelbauer. Curr Opin Virol. 2014 Aug.

Abstract

A subset of viruses express their own microRNAs (miRNAs) and one way to understand the functions of these microRNAs is to identify the targets of these miRNAs. Sequence analysis and mRNA expression profiling were some of the first techniques to identify targets of viral miRNAs. More recently, proteomics and sequencing of RNA by crosslinking and immunoprecipitation (CLIP) methods have been insightful and discovered many miRNA targets that may be missed using other methods. We are now at a point where numerous validated miRNA targets have been described and integration of these genomic datasets will provide a richer understanding of miRNA targeting and viral infection, persistence, and pathogenesis.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Summary of common miRNA target prediction and validation methods.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Complexities of redundant targeting by miRNAs. A. A single miRNA can target two sites in a transcript. B. Multiple miRNAs can target different sites in the same transcript. C. Multiple miRNAs can inhibit multiple nodes of an activation network. Proteins shown as ovals activate other activity/expression of other proteins (green arrows). Various miRNAs can repress the signal transduction pathway by targeting the transcripts giving rise to the depicted proteins.
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