病毒逃避宿主抗病毒反应的新策略

病毒与它们的宿主已经共进化了上百万年,在共进化的过程中,病毒发展了许多不同的策略对抗和逃避宿主的抗病毒反应.最新证据表明,病毒可以通过参与RNA干扰（RNA interference,RNAi）途径来介导潜伏感染、调节凋亡、逃避细胞毒T淋巴细胞（cytotoxic T lymphocyte,CTL）反应和逃避RNAi的抗病毒效应,从而逃避宿主的抗病毒反应.深入理解病毒逃避抗病毒反应的策略,不仅有助于理解病毒的致病机制及针对新的靶标设计抗病毒药物,而且有助于针对病毒的逃避机制制定相应的对策.     

RNA干扰及其抗病毒应用的可行性探讨

RNA干扰是存在于动植物细胞中的,由双链RNA介导的,序列特异性的mRNA降解过程。在哺乳动物细胞里,RNAi可以由21￣25个核苷酸长度的双链小干扰RNA(siRNA)触发。目前,以RNAi为策略来抑制病毒复制的方法已获得了巨大成功。但RNAi具有高度序列特异性,而多种病毒,如HIV-1、HBV A等却具有迅速变异的倾向。本文就病毒进化出的多种逃避RNA干扰的机制以及如何降低病毒对RNAi的耐受力等问题进行了多方面的探讨。     

RNAi及其抑制口蹄疫病毒复制的研究进展

RNA干扰(RNA interference,RNAi)是指由双链RNA(double strand RNA,dsRNA)介导的序列特异的RNA降解过程。已经证明,在植物和昆虫细胞中RNAi是其主要的抗病毒免疫机制,至今为止几乎没有发现在病毒感染哺乳动物细胞过程中诱发有效的抗病毒RNAi反应。因此,人们希望能够利用人工方法在哺乳动物细胞中建立有效的抗病毒RNAi防御策略。迄今为止,对多种哺乳动物病毒的研究结果令人振奋。主要围绕RNAi的分子基础、基本策略及其在抑制口蹄疫病毒复制中的研究现状作了综述。     

基于GEO数据分析的猪病毒源siRNA

RNA干扰（RNA interference,RNAi）是宿主细胞抗病毒的关键方法之一，其核心切割酶Dicer会将病毒复制过程中产生的双链RNA切割成长度为21-23 nt小干扰RNA(small interfering RNA,siRNA)。病毒源siRNA可直接靶向降解病毒的mRNA，阻断病毒复制。本研究一方面筛选NCBI GEO(National Center for Biotechnology Information Gene Expression Omnibus)数据库中有关猪病毒感染后产生的小RNA序列，分析比对病毒vsiRNA以探讨vsiRNA数量和其在病毒基因区域的存在规律。研究结果表明RNAi系统中Dicer对正链RNA病毒有一定的切割偏好性，并且可以识别与切割DNA病毒转录过程中产生的双链RNA。另一方面，本研究发现猪流行性腹泻病毒（Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus,PEDV）感染猪骨髓源树突状细胞后，宿主细胞的IFN-α、IFN-β与Dicer的表达量均显著下调，表明PEDV通过抑制IFN及RNAi的产生来实现免疫逃避。综上，本研究以...     

脊椎动物病毒与微RNA

抗病毒作用是RNA干扰(RNAi)在植物及低等动物中的一个重要功能。一方面,宿主细胞编码并表达短干扰RNA(siRNA),对入侵细胞的病毒产生抑制作用;另一方面,病毒编码并表达特定的RNA或蛋白质,以对抗宿主细胞的RNAi。在部分脊椎动物病毒中已经发现多种由病毒编码的微RNA(miRNA),它们对病毒及细胞基因的表达有重要的调节作用。同时,某些细胞miRNA也可影响脊椎动物病毒的复制。然而,RNAi在脊椎动物细胞中是否具有广谱抗病毒活性、脊椎动物病毒又是否普遍编码miRNA及普遍具备拮抗RNAi的机制?目前尚无定论,有待于进一步的研究加以阐明。     

RNA干扰与抗病毒感染

RNA干扰(RNAi)是由小干扰RNA(siRNA)引发的生物细胞内同源基因的转录后基因沉默(PTGS)现象,是一种古老的生物抵抗外在感染的防御机制。RNAi因其在维持基因组稳定、调控基因表达和保护基因组免受外源核酸侵入等方面发挥的重要作用,已被广泛用于探索基因功能、基因治疗和新药的研发。外源导入siRNA引发的RNAi可以特异性抑制病毒的复制与感染,为抗病毒感染治疗开辟了一条新的途径。     

应用RNA干扰沉默猪内源性反转录病毒

目的:尝试应用RNA干扰(RNAi)沉默猪源PK-15细胞中的猪内源性反转录病毒(PERV),并通过反转录酶活性及pol基因相对荧光定量PCR检测沉默效果。方法:依据GenBank公布的PERV pol基因序列,采用Invitro-gen公司的BLOCK-iT RNAi Designer软件设计Stealth小干扰RNA(siRNA)序列;将合成的siRNA转染PK-15细胞,72 h后检测细胞上清PERV反转录酶活性及细胞内pol基因拷贝数并评价沉默效果。结果:反转录酶活性及pol基因拷贝数检测结果表明,设计的3条Stealth siRNA序列中,位于pol基因3272～3296 bp的序列能有效沉默PERV。结论:RNAi方法可有效使猪源PK-15细胞中的PERV沉默,为进一步研究天然抗病毒分子与PERV的相互作用提供了实验基础,同时也为猪源异种移植研究中去除PERV提供了一种可供尝试的方法。     

RNAi技术及在植物抗病毒研究中的应用

RNA干扰(RNA interference,RNAi)技术是一项基因沉默新技术,在抗病毒研究中,人为地将与病毒或宿主基因(宿主基因编码的蛋白质对病毒很重要而对宿主本身作用很小或不起作用)同源的双链RNA(double strand RNA,dsRNA)导入生物体内,引起与其同源的基因发生沉默,从而抑制病毒复制,达到抗病毒的目的。因此RNAi技术在抗病毒研究中倍受关注,并取得了显著成绩。主要对RNAi技术的相关知识以及在植物抗病毒中的应用进展作一综述。     

小发夹RNA在稀有(鱼句)鲫胚胎中的表达

由小的干扰RNA(Small interfering RNA,siRNA)介导的RNA干扰(RNA interference,RNAi)是近年来快速发展的一种转录后基因沉默方法,已被广泛的应用于基因功能的研究,基因网络调控的探讨以及疾病的治疗等方面.多数的siRNA表达载体依赖RNA聚合酶Ⅲ启动子中的一种,操纵一段短发夹结构RNA(Small hairpin RNA,shRNA)在细胞或体内表达.这一类启动子主要包括人源和鼠源的U6启动子和人H1启动子等.为了探明鱼类自身的RNA聚合酶Ⅲ启动子是否能有效驱动shRNA在鱼体内表达,从而更好地利用RNAi进行鱼类基因功能和抗病毒研究,研究利用斑马鱼的H1和u6启动子以及草鱼的H1启动子,以草鱼呼肠孤病毒(Grass carp reovirus,GCRV)外衣壳蛋白VP7基因为靶基因,以增强型绿色荧光蛋白(eGFP)为报告基因,分别构建了三个shRNA表达载体:pZH1siGCRV-CMVeGFP、pZU6siGCRV-CMVeGFP和pCH1siGCRV-CMVeGFP.通过显微注射将三种表达载体分别导入稀有(鱼句)鲫(Gobiocypris rarus)受精卵中.由于siRNA片段很短,其表达检测非常困难,研究采用stem-loop RT-PCR方法,对稀有(鱼句)鲫胚胎发育不同时期的shRNA表达进行了检测.研究结果表明,采用的三种鱼类自身的RNA聚合酶Ⅲ启动子均能有效驱动GCRVsiRNA的表达;在取样的各个胚胎发育时期均能检测到GCRV siRNA的表达;stem-loop RT-PCR方法可以便捷检测siRNA的表达.研究构建的鱼类胚胎siRNA有效持续表达载体,建立的简易快捷siRNA检测方法,为进一步的抗GCRV转基因鱼研制以及siRNA的病毒复制干扰机制研究奠定了重要基础并提供有力的技术支撑.     

RNAi suppressors encoded by pathogenic human viruses

RNA silencing or RNAi interference (RNAi) serves as an innate antiviral mechanism in plants, fungi and animals. Human viruses, like plant viruses, encode suppressor proteins or RNAs that block or modulate the RNAi pathway. This review summarizes the mechanisms by which pathogenic human viruses affect the RNAi pathway. Furthermore, some applications of the viral RNAi suppressor functions and the consequences for antiviral therapeutic strategies that are based on RNAi are discussed.     

Poliovirus escape from RNA interference: short interfering RNA-target recognition and implications for therapeutic approaches

Short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) directed against poliovirus and other viruses effectively inhibit viral replication. Although RNA interference (RNAi) may provide the basis for specific antiviral therapies, the limitations of RNAi antiviral strategies are ill defined. Here, we show that poliovirus readily escapes highly effective siRNAs through unique point mutations within the targeted regions. Competitive analysis of the escape mutants provides insights into the basis of siRNA recognition. The RNAi machinery can tolerate mismatches but is exquisitely sensitive to mutations within the central region and the 3' end of the target sequence. Indeed, specific mutations in the target sequence resulting in G:U mismatches are sufficient for the virus to escape siRNA inhibition. However, using a pool of siRNAs to simultaneously target multiple sites in the viral genome prevents the emergence of resistant viruses. Our study uncovers the elegant precision of target recognition by the RNAi machinery and provides the basis for the development of effective RNAi-based therapies that prevent viral escape.     

病毒利用UPP逃避抗病毒反应的研究进展

泛素-蛋白酶体途径是溶酶体外蛋白降解的主要系统,在许多细胞功能中发挥重要作用。越来越多的证据表明病毒参与泛素-蛋白酶体途径,干扰IFN信号通路和免疫受体表达、凋亡抑制及介导病毒潜伏。深入理解病毒利用泛素-蛋白酶体途径逃避宿主抗病毒反应的策略,有助于揭示病毒的致病机理和鉴定抗病毒药物新靶标。     

A call to arms: coevolution of animal viruses and host innate immune responses

Virus infection is generally disadvantageous to the host and strongly selects for host antiviral mechanisms. Therefore, viruses must develop counter-mechanisms to guarantee their survival. This arms race between pathogen and host leads to positive selection for both cellular antiviral mechanisms and viral inhibitors of such mechanisms. Here, we characterize this arms race in the context of the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway, which is used as an innate immune response against viral infection by animals. We review how RNAi is used as an antiviral strategy and the mechanisms that viruses have evolved to suppress the RNAi response.     

A dsRNA-binding protein of a complex invertebrate DNA virus suppresses the Drosophila RNAi response

Invertebrate RNA viruses are targets of the host RNA interference (RNAi) pathway, which limits virus infection by degrading viral RNA substrates. Several insect RNA viruses encode suppressor proteins to counteract this antiviral response. We recently demonstrated that the dsDNA virus Invertebrate iridescent virus 6 (IIV-6) induces an RNAi response in Drosophila. Here, we show that RNAi is suppressed in IIV-6-infected cells and we mapped RNAi suppressor activity to the viral protein 340R. Using biochemical assays, we reveal that 340R binds long dsRNA and prevents Dicer-2-mediated processing of long dsRNA into small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). We demonstrate that 340R additionally binds siRNAs and inhibits siRNA loading into the RNA-induced silencing complex. Finally, we show that 340R is able to rescue a Flock House virus replicon that lacks its viral suppressor of RNAi. Together, our findings indicate that, in analogy to RNA viruses, DNA viruses antagonize the antiviral RNAi response.     

An RIG-I-Like RNA Helicase Mediates Antiviral RNAi Downstream of Viral siRNA Biogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans

Dicer ribonucleases of plants and invertebrate animals including Caenorhabditis elegans recognize and process a viral RNA trigger into virus-derived small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to guide specific viral immunity by Argonaute-dependent RNA interference (RNAi). C. elegans also encodes three Dicer-related helicase (drh) genes closely related to the RIG-I-like RNA helicase receptors which initiate broad-spectrum innate immunity against RNA viruses in mammals. Here we developed a transgenic C. elegans strain that expressed intense green fluorescence from a chromosomally integrated flock house virus replicon only after knockdown or knockout of a gene required for antiviral RNAi. Use of the reporter nematode strain in a feeding RNAi screen identified drh-1 as an essential component of the antiviral RNAi pathway. However, RNAi induced by either exogenous dsRNA or the viral replicon was enhanced in drh-2 mutant nematodes, whereas exogenous RNAi was essentially unaltered in drh-1 mutant nematodes, indicating that exogenous and antiviral RNAi pathways are genetically distinct. Genetic epistatic analysis shows that drh-1 acts downstream of virus sensing and viral siRNA biogenesis to mediate specific antiviral RNAi. Notably, we found that two members of the substantially expanded subfamily of Argonautes specific to C. elegans control parallel antiviral RNAi pathways. These findings demonstrate both conserved and unique strategies of C. elegans in antiviral defense.     

The anti-genomic (negative) strand of Hepatitis C Virus is not targetable by shRNA

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and other plus-strand RNA viruses typically require the generation of a small number of negative genomes (20–100× lower than the positive genomes) for replication, making the less-abundant antigenome an attractive target for RNA interference(RNAi)-based therapy. Because of the complementarity of duplex short hairpin RNA/small interfering RNA (shRNA/siRNAs) with both genomic and anti-genomic viral RNA strands, and the potential of both shRNA strands to become part of the targeting complexes, preclinical RNAi studies cannot distinguish which viral strand is actually targeted in infected cells. Here, we addressed the question whether the negative HCV genome was bioaccessible to RNAi. We first screened for the most active shRNA molecules against the most conserved regions in the HCV genome, which were then used to generate asymmetric anti-HCV shRNAs that produce biologically active RNAi specifically directed against the genomic or antigenomic HCV sequences. Using this simple but powerful and effective method to screen for shRNA strand selectivity, we demonstrate that the antigenomic strand of HCV is not a viable RNAi target during HCV replication. These findings provide new insights into HCV biology and have important implications for the design of more effective and safer antiviral RNAi strategies seeking to target HCV and other viruses with similar replicative strategies.