Dicing of viral replication intermediates during silencing of latent Drosophila viruses

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0813412106
• Publication Date: 2009-02-28T02:11:49Z
• Authors: Alex Flynt; Na Liu; Raquel Martin; Eric C. Lai
• Keywords: RNA Silencing; Dicer; Argonaute; Trans-acting siRNA

Previous studies revealed roles for RNA interference (RNAi) in the immediate cellular response to viral infection plants, nematodes and flies. However, little is known about how RNAi combats viruses during persistent or latent infections. Our analysis of small RNAs cloned from Drosophila cells latently infected with Flock House Virus (FHV) failed reveal signatures bulk degradation genome. Instead, this + strand virus specifically generated Dicer-2-dependent, 21-nucleotide siRNAs that derived equal proportion - strands. Curiously, luciferase reporters are fully complementary abundant were poorly repressed. Moreover, although incorporated into an effector complex associated Argonaute2, FHV not loaded any Argonaute protein. Together, these data suggest direct dicing replication intermediates plays important role maintaining state. In addition, denial complexes suggests criteria beyond structural competency duplexes influence assembly functional silencing complexes.