Identification and Analysis of Differentially-Expressed microRNAs in Japanese Encephalitis Virus-Infected PK-15 Cells with Deep Sequencing

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Yuhan Cai¹  Ling Zhu¹  Yuanchen Zhou¹  Xiao Liu¹  Xiaowan Liu¹  Xinqiong Li¹  Qiaoli Lang¹  Xiaogai Qiao¹  Zhiwen Xu¹ 

[1] Animal Biotechnology Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, China; E-Mails:

关键词: Japanese encephalitis virus;    microRNA;    pathogenesis;    deep sequencing;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms16012204

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a mosquito-borne Flavivirus, causes acute viral encephalitis with high morbidity and mortality in humans and animals. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that are important modulators of the intricate host-pathogen interaction networks. However, our knowledge of the changes that occur in miRNAs in host cells after JEV infection is still limited. To understand the molecular pathogenesis of JEV at the level of posttranscriptional regulation, we used Illumina deep sequencing to sequence two small RNA libraries prepared from PK-15 cells before and after JEV infection. We identified 522 and 427 miRNAs in the infected and uninfected cells, respectively. Overall, 132 miRNAs were expressed significantly differently after challenge with JEV: 78 were upregulated and 54 downregulated. The sequencing results for selected miRNAs were confirmed with RT-qPCR. GO analysis of the host target genes revealed that these dysregulated miRNAs are involved in complex cellular pathways, including the metabolic pathway, inflammatory response and immune response. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the comparative expression of miRNAs in PK-15 cells after JEV infection. Our findings will underpin further studies of miRNAs’ roles in JEV replication and identify potential candidates for antiviral therapies against JEV.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.