Host Immune System Gene Targeting by a Viral miRNA

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1140956
• Publication Date: 2007-07-19T20:53:33Z
• Authors: Noam Stern-Ginossar; Naama Elefant; Albert Zimmermann; Dana G. Wolf; Nivin Saleh; Moshe Biton; Elad Horwitz; Zafnat Prokocimer; Mark Prichard; Gabriele Hahn; Debra Goldman-Wohl; Caryn Greenfield; Simcha Yagel; Hartmut Hengel; Yael Altuvia; Hanah Margalit; Ofer Mandelboim
• Keywords: NKG2D; Cytomegalovirus

Virally encoded microRNAs (miRNAs) have recently been discovered in herpesviruses. However, their biological roles are mostly unknown. We developed an algorithm for the prediction of miRNA targets and applied it to human cytomegalovirus miRNAs, resulting identification major histocompatibility complex class I-related chain B (MICB) gene as a top candidate target hcmv-miR-UL112. MICB is stress-induced ligand natural killer (NK) cell activating receptor NKG2D critical NK killing virus-infected cells tumor cells. show that hcmv-miR-UL112 specifically down-regulates expression during viral infection, leading decreased binding reduced by Our results reveal miRNA-based immunoevasion mechanism appears be exploited cytomegalovirus.