Scientists have discovered an anti-flu virus defense system made up of endomicroRNA

In recent years, seasonal influenza is high, and avian influenza continues to cross the species barrier to infect humans, especially H7N9 and highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 outbreaks occur from time to time, in a serious threat to human health, but also to livestock production caused major losses, has become a serious public health problem.
influenza virus mainly infects respiratory and pulmonary corted cells in humans or livestock. Recently, meng Songdong and Fang Min of the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences found that microRNA, the vast majority of endogenetic cells in endoblast cells, inhibits influenza virus replication. They screened the high-abundance of 297 microRNAs in pulmonary endoculocytes for viral replication, and further studied five of the most obvious microRNAs for virus replication suppression, finding that these microRNAs or directly targeting influenza virus mRNAs inhibited the expression and replication of the virus, or by targeting host factors that are good for influenza replication to suppress influenza viruses, these microRNAs combinations can effectively protect mice from virus death. What's more, through genetic sequence analysis of wild birds and home bird flu, swine flu, and human influenza viruses, it is found that the number of microRNAs targets present in virus mRNA fragments is positively related to the antiviral activity of these microRNAs. This study not only provides new ideas for the effective prevention and treatment of influenza, but also reveals the endo-microRNAs host defense system and its important role in curbing the spread of viruses across species.
related research results published in
, Meng Songdong Group Ph.D. student Peng Shanxin, Fang Min Group Ph.D. student Wang Jing as the co-first author, Meng Songdong, Fang Min as the co-communications author. The research has been funded by the National Key Basic Research and Development Program and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. (Source: Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy
).