Virology
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MicroRNA-122 (miR-122) promotes Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) RNA stability, accumulation, and translation through hybridization with the 5' untranslated region (5' UTR) of the HCV genome. Depletion of Dicer and TRBP, proteins involved in miRNA biogenesis, reduced HCV RNA accumulation, mature duplex miR-122 abundance, and miR-122 directed mRNA translation suppression, suggesting roles in miR-122 processing. ⋯ Mature duplex miR-122 and pre-miR-122 hairpin, but not single-stranded miR-122 (guide or * strand), augmented HCV RNA accumulation and translation, and Dicer and TRBP were essential for the activity of pre-miR-122 in mouse fibroblasts. Thus, canonical miRNA processing and strand selection is essential for the activity of miR-122 on HCV translation and RNA accumulation.