miR-122 is a liver-specific microRNA (miRNA) that binds to two sites (S1 and S2) on the 5= untranslated region (UTR) of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome and promotes the viral life cycle. It positively affects viral RNA stability, translation, and replication, but the mechanism is not well understood. To unravel the roles of miR-122 binding at each site alone or in combination, we employed miR-122 binding site mutant viral RNAs, Hep3B cells (which lack detectable miR-122), and complementation with wild-type miR-122, an miR-122 with the matching mutation, or both. We found that miR-122 binding at either site alone increased replication equally, while binding at both sites had a cooperative effect. Xrn1 depletion rescued miR-122-unbound fulllength RNA replication to detectable levels but not to miR-122-bound levels, confirming that miR-122 protects HCV RNA from Xrn1, a cytoplasmic 5=-to-3= exoribonuclease, but also has additional functions. In cells depleted of Xrn1, replication levels of S1-bound HCV RNA were slightly higher than S2-bound RNA levels, suggesting that both sites contribute, but their contributions may be unequal when the need for protection from Xrn1 is reduced. miR-122 binding at S1 or S2 also increased translation equally, but the effect was abolished by Xrn1 knockdown, suggesting that the influence of miR-122 on HCV translation reflects protection from Xrn1 degradation. Our results show that occupation of each miR-122 binding site contributes equally and cooperatively to HCV replication but suggest somewhat unequal contributions of each site to Xrn1 protection and additional functions of miR-122. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a hepatotropic virus that infects an estimated 150 million humans worldwide, a significant portion of whom do not know their status due to the largely asymptomatic nature of the infection (1). The virus is transmitted by blood-to-blood contact, and humans are the only known reservoir. Chronic infection occurs in approximately 70% of cases and can lead to sequelae such as metabolic disease, steatosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and decompensated liver disease late in infection (2).One of the major determinants of the virus' hepatotropism is its requirement for the liver-specific, liver-abundant miR-122 microRNA (miRNA) (3, 4). miR-122 binds to two sites at the 5= end of the virus' positive-sense RNA genome and has been shown to directly enhance viral RNA accumulation, since mutation of the miR-122 binding sites abolishes RNA accumulation, and the provision of exogenous miR-122 sequences that have compensatory mutations to restore binding also reinstates RNA accumulation (4-10). Argonaute-2, one of the key effector proteins in the microRNA pathway and a component of the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC), binds in association with miR-122 and is required to increase HCV replication, while several other proteins in the microRNA pathway and RISC have been implicated in either the biogenesis or activity of miR-122 (5, 11-14). Although miR-122 uses canonical microRNA se...

Background In a warmer and more globally connected Arctic, vector-borne pathogens of zoonotic importance may be increasing in prevalence in native wildlife. Recently, Bartonella henselae, the causative agent of cat scratch fever, was detected in blood collected from arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) that were captured and released in the large goose colony at Karrak Lake, Nunavut, Canada. This bacterium is generally associated with cats and cat fleas, which are absent from Arctic ecosystems. Arctic foxes in this region feed extensively on migratory geese, their eggs, and their goslings. Thus, we hypothesized that a nest flea, Ceratophyllus vagabundus vagabundus (Boheman, 1865), may serve as a vector for transmission of Bartonella spp. Methods We determined the prevalence of Bartonella spp. in (i) nest fleas collected from 5 arctic fox dens and (ii) 37 surrounding goose nests, (iii) fleas collected from 20 geese harvested during arrival at the nesting grounds and (iv) blood clots from 57 adult live-captured arctic foxes. A subsample of fleas were identified morphologically as C. v. vagabundus. Remaining fleas were pooled for each nest, den, or host. DNA was extracted from flea pools and blood clots and analyzed with conventional and real-time polymerase chain reactions targeting the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic transcribed spacer region. Results Bartonella henselae was identified in 43% of pooled flea samples from nests and 40% of pooled flea samples from fox dens. Bartonella vinsonii berkhoffii was identified in 30% of pooled flea samples collected from 20 geese. Both B. vinsonii berkhoffii (n = 2) and B. rochalimae (n = 1) were identified in the blood of foxes. Conclusions We confirm that B. henselae, B. vinsonii berkhoffii and B. rochalimae circulate in the Karrak Lake ecosystem and that nest fleas contain B. vinsonii and B. henselae DNA, suggesting that this flea may serve as a potential vector for transmission among Arctic wildlife.

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