Dual Effects of Let-7b in the Early Stage of Hepatitis C Virus Infection

作者：Yung‐Ju Yeh, Ching‐Ping Tseng, Sheng‐Da Hsu, His-Yuan Huang, Michael M. C. Lai, Hsien‐Da Huang, Ju-Chien Cheng · 发表于：Journal of Virology · 年份：2020 · DOI：10.1128/jvi.01800-20 · 被引用次数：13 · 研究领域：interferon and immune responses、Hepatitis C virus research、Cancer-related molecular mechanisms research

HCV is a leading cause of liver disease, with an estimated 71 million people infected worldwide. During HCV infection, type I interferon (IFN) signaling displays potent antiviral and immunomodulatory effects. Host factors, including microRNAs (miRNAs), play a role in upregulating IFN signaling to limit HCV replication. Let-7b is a liver-abundant miRNA that is induced by HCV infection and targets the HCV genome to suppress HCV RNA accumulation. In this study, we demonstrated that let-7b, as a positive regulator of type I IFN signaling, plays dual roles against HCV replication by increasing the expression of IFN and interferon-sensitive response element (ISRE)-driven interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) in the early stage of HCV infection. This study sheds new insight into understanding the role of let-7b in combatting HCV infection. Clarifying IFN signaling regulated by miRNA during the early phase of HCV infection may help researchers understand the initial defense mechanisms to other RNA viruses.