MiRNAs - How Viruses Manipulate Host Cells

A team of virologists have discovered important details about a genetic mechanism pathogenic viruses use to evade the immune systems of their hosts. They say their results could point the way to new treatments that use the viruses' own trick against them. The research is detailed in Cell Host and Microbe. The mechanism is based on the production of short RNA molecules (microRNAs) by the virus. RNA is chemically related to the genetic material DNA, and full-length RNA copies of gene sequences specify the structures of all cell proteins. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), on the other hand, play a crucial role in regulating gene expression. read more

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