Demián Cazalla

Down-Regulation of a Host MicroRNA by a Herpesvirus saimiri Noncoding RNA

Herpes Virus MiRNA Modulation Viruses use a number of strategies to manipulate the cells of their host to ensure a successful infection. Herpesvirus saimiri (HVS) generates highly conserved small noncoding RNAs HSUR 1 and HSUR 2, which modulate expression of a number of proteins in infected primate T cells. Cazalla et al. (p. 1563; see the Perspective by Pasquinelli) observed complementarity between HSUR sequences and the seed regions of three different miRNAs—miR-142-3p, miR-27, and miR-16—and found that these HSURs could bind to the miRNAs. Furthermore, the level of mature miR-27 was modulated by binding to HSUR 1, which targeted the miRNA for degradation. A viral noncoding RNA regulates the level of a complementary host-cell microRNA. T cells transformed by Herpesvirus saimiri express seven viral U-rich noncoding RNAs of unknown function called HSURs. We noted that conserved sequences in HSURs 1 and 2 constitute potential binding sites for three host-cell microRNAs (miRNAs). Coimmunoprecipitation experiments confirmed that HSURs 1 and 2 interact with the predicted miRNAs in virally transformed T cells. The abundance of one of these miRNAs, miR-27, is dramatically lowered in transformed cells, with consequent effects on the expression of miR-27 target genes. Transient knockdown and ectopic expression of HSUR 1 demonstrate that it directs degradation of mature miR-27 in a sequence-specific and binding-dependent manner. This viral strategy illustrates use of a ncRNA to manipulate host-cell gene expression via the miRNA pathway.

miR-29 and miR-30 regulate B-Myb expression during cellular senescence

Cellular senescence is a form of irreversible growth arrest and a major tumor suppressor mechanism. We show here that the miR-29 and miR-30 microRNA families are up-regulated during induced and replicative senescence and that up-regulation requires activation of the Rb pathway. Expression of a reporter construct containing the 3′UTR of the B-Myb oncogene is repressed during senescence, and repression is blocked by mutations in conserved miR-29 and miR-30 binding sites in the B-Myb 3′UTR. In proliferating cells, transfection of miR-29 and miR-30 represses a reporter construct containing the wild-type but not the mutant B-Myb 3′UTR, and repression of the mutant 3′UTR is reinstituted by compensatory mutations in miR-29 and miR-30 that restore binding to the mutant sites. miR-29 and miR-30 introduction also represses expression of endogenous B-Myb and inhibits cellular DNA synthesis. Finally, interference with miR-29 and miR-30 expression inhibits senescence. These findings demonstrate that miR-29 and miR-30 regulate B-Myb expression by binding to its 3′UTR and suggest that these microRNAs play an important role in Rb-driven cellular senescence.

MicroRNA-9 controls dendritic development by targeting REST

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are conserved noncoding RNAs that function as posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression. miR-9 is one of the most abundant miRNAs in the brain. Although the function of miR-9 has been well characterized in neural progenitors, its role in dendritic and synaptic development remains largely unknown. In order to target miR-9 in vivo, we developed a transgenic miRNA sponge mouse line allowing conditional inactivation of the miR-9 family in a spatio-temporal-controlled manner. Using this novel approach, we found that miR-9 controls dendritic growth and synaptic transmission in vivo. Furthermore, we demonstrate that miR-9-mediated downregulation of the transcriptional repressor REST is essential for proper dendritic growth. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.02755.001

Noncoding RNPs of Viral Origin

Like their host cells, many viruses produce noncoding (nc)RNAs. These show diversity with respect to time of expression during viral infection, length and structure, protein-binding partners and relative abundance compared with their host-cell counterparts. Viruses, with their limited genomic capacity, presumably evolve or acquire ncRNAs only if they selectively enhance the viral life cycle or assist the virus in combating the hosts response to infection. Despite much effort, identifying the functions of viral ncRNAs has been extremely challenging. Recent technical advances and enhanced understanding of host-cell ncRNAs promise accelerated insights into the RNA warfare mounted by this fascinating class of RNPs.

RNase III-independent microRNA biogenesis in mammalian cells

RNase III enzymes are fundamental to the biogenesis of microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) in all species studied. Although alternative miRNA pathways independent of Drosha or Dicer exist, each still requires one RNase III-type enzyme. Here, we describe two strategies that marry either RNase Z or the Integrator complex with the slicing activity of Argonaute2 to generate highly functional mature miRNAs. We provide stringent validation of their RNase III independence by demonstrating efficient miRNA biogenesis and activity in Drosha and Dicer knockout cells. These data provide proof-of-principle evidence for additional mechanistic possibilities for efficient generation of small regulatory RNAs, and represent novel silencing triggers that may be exploited for technical purposes.

Down-Regulation of a Host microRNA by a Viral Noncoding RNA

Primate herpesviruses express more noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) than any other class of mammalian viruses during either latency or the lytic phase of the viral life cycle. T cells transformed by the monkey virus Herpesvirus saimiri (HVS) express seven viral U-rich ncRNAs called HSURs. Conserved sequences in HSURs1 and 2 exhibit complementarity to three host-cell microRNAs (miRNAs). The predicted interactions of HSURs1 and 2 with these miRNAs were confirmed by coimmuno-precipitation experiments performed on extracts of marmoset T cells transformed by a wild-type or a mutant HVS lacking these two HSURs. Mutational analyses demonstrated that the binding of miR-27 to HSUR1 and that of miR-16 to HSUR2 involves base pairing. One of these miRNAs, miR-27, is dramatically lowered in abundance in HVS-transformed cells, with consequent effects on the expression of miR-27 target genes. Transient knockdown and ectopic expression of HSUR1 demonstrated that degradation of mature miR-27 occurs in a sequence-specific and binding-dependent manner but does not occur by AU-rich element (ARE)-mediated decay, which controls the intracellular level of HSUR1 itself. This viral strategy exemplifies the use of an ncRNA to control host-cell gene expression via the miRNA pathway and has potential applications both experimentally and therapeutically.

A viral Sm-class RNA base-pairs with mRNAs and recruits microRNAs to inhibit apoptosis

Viruses express several classes of non-coding RNAs; the functions and mechanisms by which most of these act are unknown. Herpesvirus saimiri, a γ-herpesvirus that establishes latency in the T cells of New World primates and has the ability to cause aggressive leukaemias and lymphomas in non-natural hosts, expresses seven small nuclear uracil-rich non-coding RNAs (called HSURs) in latently infected cells. These HSURs associate with Sm proteins, and share biogenesis and structural features with cellular Sm-class small nuclear RNAs. One of these HSURs (HSUR2) base-pairs with two host cellular microRNAs (miR-142-3p and miR-16) but does not affect their abundance or activity, which suggests that its interactions with them perform alternative functions. Here we show that HSUR2 also base-pairs with mRNAs in infected cells. We combined in vivo psoralen-mediated RNA–RNA crosslinking and high-throughput sequencing to identify the mRNAs targeted by HSUR2, which include mRNAs that encode retinoblastoma and factors involved in p53 signalling and apoptosis. We show that HSUR2 represses the expression of target mRNAs and that base-pairing between HSUR2 and miR-142-3p and miR-16 is essential for this repression, suggesting that HSUR2 recruits these two cellular microRNAs to its target mRNAs. Furthermore, we show that HSUR2 uses this mechanism to inhibit apoptosis. Our results uncover a role for this viral Sm-class RNA as a microRNA adaptor in the regulation of gene expression that follows precursor mRNA processing.

Novel roles for Sm-class RNAs in the regulation of gene expression

ABSTRACT Viruses masterfully regulate host gene expression during infection. Many do so, in part, by expressing non-coding RNAs. Recent work has shown that HSUR 2, a viral non-coding RNA expressed by the oncogenic Herpesvirus saimiri, regulates mRNA expression through a novel mechanism. HSUR 2 base pairs with both target mRNAs and host miRNAs in infected cells. This results in HSUR 2-dependent recruitment of host miRNAs and associated Ago proteins to target mRNAs, and the subsequent destabilization of target mRNAs. Using this mechanism, this virus regulates key cellular pathways during viral infection. Here I discuss the evolution of our thinking about HSUR function and explore the implications of recent findings in relation to the current views on the functions of interactions between miRNAs and other classes of non-coding RNAs, the potential advantages of this mechanism of regulation of gene expression, and the evolutionary origin of HSUR 2.