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RNA ‐based mechanisms regulating host–virus interactions
Author(s) -
Zhou Rui,
Rana Tariq M.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
immunological reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.839
H-Index - 223
eISSN - 1600-065X
pISSN - 0105-2896
DOI - 10.1111/imr.12053
Subject(s) - rna , biology , rna silencing , rna induced transcriptional silencing , rna editing , non coding rna , trans acting sirna , rna dependent rna polymerase , small rna , small nuclear rna , rna interference , genetics , intron , gene
Summary RNA interference ( RNA i) is an ancient process by which non‐coding RNA s regulate gene expression in a sequence‐specific manner. The core components of RNA i are small regulatory RNA s, approximately 21–30 nucleotides in length, including small interfering RNA s (si RNA s) and micro RNA s (mi RNA s). The past two decades have seen considerable progress in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the biogenesis of si RNA s and mi RNA s. Recent advances have also revealed the crucial regulatory roles played by small RNA s in such diverse processes as development, homeostasis, innate immunity, and oncogenesis. Accumulating evidence indicates that RNA i initially evolved as a host defense mechanism against viruses and transposons. The ability of the host small RNA biogenesis machinery to recognize viral double‐stranded RNA replication intermediates and transposon transcripts is critical to this process, as is small RNA ‐guided targeting of RNA s via complementary base pairing. Collectively, these properties confer unparalleled specificity and precision to RNA i‐mediated gene silencing as an effective antiviral mechanism.